College Trials
by PINKvsBLUE
Summary: A/U. The gang is at college. All Blair wants is to have a good time with her friend Dan. What she doesn't expect and necessarily want, is the attention Chuck Bass starts paying her. Serena finds herself stuck between two boys. Drama,Love,Lies. C/B S/N/D.
1. Failed Attempts

_A/N: Ok! Here's a gossip girl story I'm excited about. It is AU. Its set in College. In this story the friendships are a bit different. Blair and Dan are friends and don't know Serena and them. Then Serena, Chuck and Nate are friends. I've always liked the Blair and Dan exchanges and suddenly I had this idea for this fic and in it I couldn't not make Dan and Blair friends.I hope some people will like this fact. Then the main couple pairing i'm doing is; Chuck and Blair but in this fic I'm not focusing only on Blair's pov. Serena has a pov as well and a story line. It is necessary and I like the idea of having a gossip girl fic that actually focuses on more than one story line- it allows for all the characters to be incorporated and actually have a decent role. Fair warning Serena's story line will focus around Dan and Nate. _

_If by the odd chance you've read the few chapters I have of my other gossip girl fic: The wars of the Upper East Side. You'll know that I say I don't know who Serena will end up with. In this fic I know who she will end up with. I'm not stating though who the final pairing for her will be. I want that as a sort of surprise. It will either be Dan or Nate though. Also i've lost my inspiration for my other gossip girl fic. But this one i'm quite excited for. So I hope some will enjoy it.  
_

_Anyway this chapter just sort of sets things rolling. _

_Please review!_

Disclaimer: I do not own gossip girl or the characters. This is purely for fun.

Chapter 1:Failed Attempts

Blair glanced down at her phone and then took a sip of her coffee. It was late in the afternoon and she was finally done. She had had one long day filled with lectures and one grueling test. She was finally sitting –resting- and drinking a much needed cup of coffee. Blair was about to get up and leave when she spotted a figure walking towards her. She smiled and sat back down. He walked up to her and grinned.

'I thought you'd be here.' He took a seat next to her. They were at a secluded part of the university where Blair liked to go to. All around them were trees and one building where lectures occurred in. Towards the left side of the courtyard there were two large trees that bloomed purple flowers and in the middle of the two trees was one brown bench that Blair had discovered and adored sitting at. Blair smiled at him.

'You're just the person I wanted to see.' She replied in an excited voice. He gave a half chuckle and turned to face her.

'I know that voice. What is it? What do you want?' She grinned.

'I love that you know me so well, it saves so much time. There's this party-'

'No. Not another one. Aren't you bored of them?'

'Yes. Of course I get bored of having fun all the time.' She replied sarcastically while nodding her head at him.

'Blair-'

'Dan-'

'Blair, those parties are torture-'

'Will you let me finish? It's not the normal college-get-drunk-don't-remember –what –happened- the- next- morning type party. It's only for a select bunch of people its very elite.'

'That sounds worst than the normal parties those are-'

'Stop talking, Dan. I know what you're going to say it's pompous, it's superficial, whatever. Pick me up at 8.' Dan sighed and ran a hand through his black hair.

'How'd you get us in?'

'Being Blair Waldorf has its advantages.' Dan laughed.

'You owe me for this.' Blair leaned closer to Dan and dropped her voice to a whisper.

'It's ok Dan, you can drop the act it's only me here. I know you really want to go.' He shook his head. Stood up and held out his hand for her. Blair stared up at her friend and smiled. She took his hand and together they made their way back to their dorms.

* * *

Serena leaned over and kissed Nate softly on the lips. He immediately replied and pulled her closer while simultaneously deepening the kiss. He could feel a smile spreading over her lips. Her hands moved to his hair and tugged it in just the way he liked it. He moved his hand down to her waist and then moved one across her stomach-knowing that it sent her body into an array of different feelings. Serena was about to remove his shirt when a knock sounded at the door. Nate stared at her and kissed her again intending to ignore the knock. But a few seconds later the knocking continued on at a constant pace. Serena sighed and broke away.

'Chuck!' Nate yelled out and got off his bed and went to the door. Serena rearranged the books on the bed so it looked like she had been studying. Nate opened the door and glared at Chuck. 'What?'

'Sorry was I interrupting?' Chuck asked and entered the room.

'Serena.' Chuck greeted.

'Chuck.' She replied.

'Enjoying the studying?' he asked her and grinned.

'Enjoying being a pain?' he laughed and turned to Nate.

'I came to drop these off.' He handed Nate two envelopes.

'What are these?'

'Invitations to that party I was telling you about.' Serena suddenly jumped off the bed and made her way over to Nate taking one of the invitations from him. She grinned and turned to Chuck.

'Listen closely now Chuck, cause I'm about to compliment you and that will generally only happen about once every year. You're awesome. Thank you.' She went over and kissed him on the cheek. Serena had wanted these invitations but had had no luck in her attempts to get them. She had gone to all the wrong people. Chuck laughed and was about to say something when Nate interrupted him.

'You couldn't have just pushed the envelopes under the door, Chuck?' he asked frustrated.

'And miss giving you a legitimate reason to stop studying, Nathaniel?' Nate walked to the door and opened it.

'Goodbye, Chuck we'll see you later.'

'Alright, I'm going.' Chuck nodded to Serena and walked out. Nate closed the door and turned back. Serena gave him a mischievous grin. He walked back to her and within in seconds the "studying" session resumed.

* * *

It was about 8 o'clock and Blair was wearing a short black dress that had an open chest style and was tight at the top and flowed out at the bottom. She had also decided on red heels. Her hair was down in a wavy curls and she had a red hair band in her hair. Dan had just arrived and was waiting for her to finish her final make-up touch ups. Five minutes later she was finally done and came out and smiled at him.

'You're going to be having a lot of boys chasing after you tonight.' He commented. Blair smiled at him.

'It's a good thing then that I can look after myself, considering I cant rely on you to help me get rid of the unwanted attention.' She replied and took a step closer to him.

'Does that mean I don't have to go with you?' Blair laughed.

'No Dan, it means I remember you making out with that girl at the last party we were at. Nothing could have stolen your attention away from that girl. And you say you don't enjoy those parties. ' Dan just looked down and then at his watch. Blair laughed.

'We should get going.' He moved to the door and opened it for her. The place was about twenty minutes away.

* * *

Serena adjusted her dress and got out the car. She was wearing a blue strapless dress that had a V-shaped front and the bottom half of the dress flowed and looked as though it had creases to it. Her hair was up in a messy bun. Nate and Chuck walked over to her side. She interlocked her arms with them and they made their way inside to the party. Once inside Serena assumption had been correct. The place was decorated in a classic sort of way; everything about it was a classic upper- east -side style. Except that modern music was playing. There was an abundance of alcohol and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Really it was a normal college party that was just a bit more dressed up. She smiled at the boys and then left them to go get a drink.

She had almost expected Nate to follow her but then realized that that wasn't how they worked in public. She had just gotten a drink and was walking towards a girl she knew when someone grabbed her arm. She spun around.

'Troy.' She said anger in her voice. 'Leave me alone.' She pulled her arm out of his grasp and quickly went across the room and started talking to the girl she knew. She glanced nervously around to see if Troy was anywhere near her. They had had a drunken moment of fun one night and ever since then he hadn't left Serena alone. At first that wasn't a big problem but these days he had gotten increasingly intense, insisting that there was something between them and it had now started to make Serena extremely uncomfortable.

* * *

Blair walked into the party and sighed. This was exactly the type of party she had felt like. Elite and fun. She glanced around the room for familiar faces and found one or two. She was suddenly aware that Dan was beside her and very quiet. She turned to him.

'What's wrong?' he seemed to not hear her at first and then suddenly snapped out of his daze.

'Nothing. I'm just,' he paused and seemed to search for the words meanwhile his eyes had strayed to a blonde haired girl in a blue dress, 'surprised.' He finally muttered. Blair raised her eyebrows.

'Right. So, which girl are we looking at?' she asked him playfully. He finally tore his eyes away and looked at Blair. He grinned.

'I'm going to get us drinks.' He said and was about to walk away when Blair quickly added.

'You know I'll know by the end of the night.' Dan shook his head and walked away, with his hands in his pockets, and trying not to glance at the girl in the blue dress. Blair made her way deeper into the house. She loved the little details in it. She was about to go and find Dan when someone she knew all too well by reputation approached her.

'Chuck Bass.' He said when he reached her. He then grabbed her hand and kissed it.

'Not interested.' Blair replied.

'That can be changed.' He replied and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. She pulled her hand away.

'You should be leaving right about now.'

'Will you be following me?' He asked and cocked his head to the side. Blair gave an incredulous smile.

'Am I not making myself clear, Chuck?'

'Every girl plays hard to get in the start I'm just trying to speed this encounter up so we get to the part where-'

'You finish that sentence and I may just have to hurt you.' She turned to walk away and then stopped and looked at him. 'And Chuck Bass is a terrible opening line. Find a new one. You may have more of chance then with some unfortunate girl.' She took another step when he called out to her.

'Wait. What's your name?' She paused and turned back, shook her head at him and walked away. She then went and found Dan - all the while she was trying to shake off the thought that she had found Chuck Bass fascinating. She had wanted to talk to him more but she knew his reputation and she knew, because of it, that it was not a smart idea to stay in the presence of Chuck Bass for too long. Dan handed her a drink which she gladly accepted.

'Enjoying your self yet?' he asked her.

'More than you know.' She replied taking a sip and tearing her gaze away from Chuck.

* * *

Serena sighed they had been at the party for quite a few hours now. She was enjoying herself a lot. The company was good. She had spoken to tons of people. Had danced with many boys and was enjoying the music and alcohol. She had just left Nate and Chuck to go the bathroom. She was looking down and wasn't paying attention to where she was going. The next minute she had felt something hard hit her. She stopped, shocked, and looked up. A black haired boy turned around to face her.

'You ok?' he asked. She smiled embarrassed.

'Yeah, sorry about that.'

'No apology necessary.' He said. Serena looked at the two other girls this boy had been talking to.

'Serena Van der Woodsen.' She said.

'Dam Humphrey.' Dan could hardly believe his luck this was the girl in the blue dress. The one he had wanted to talk to the whole night the only problem was that currently he couldn't think of what to say to her. A few seconds passed in silence. Finally Serena broke it.

'I think I owe you another apology, Dan.'

'Why would that be?' he asked putting his hands in his pocket again.

'I seemed to have chased away those girls you were talking to.' He grinned.

'Then you have just done me a favour.' He glanced and noticed they were gone and sighed with relief. 'Let's just say they were kind of strange and uh kinky.' Serena laughed.

'Well then I'm happy to be of service… wait… sorry… did you say kinky?' Dan laughed and nodded. He began rehashing the conversation with Serena. Half an hour later they were still together and having a good time. Serena was about to tell Dan another story when Troy walked up to her. He was clearly drunk and clearly angry.

'Serena!' he yelled. 'what the fuck are you doing?' She spun around to face him but just then he grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the wall.

'Dude!' Dan yelled and moved towards Troy.

'Dan, don't.' Serena demanded.

'Troy, you're hurting me let me go.' She yelled at him. His grip only tightened.

* * *

Blair was walking the house looking for Dan. She hadn't seen him in a bit and she wanted to go home now. She wasn't feeling the best. She stopped walking and threw up her hands in exasperation. Just then someone put their hand on the small of her back.

'Dan-' she started but stopped when she saw who it was. She took a step away.

'You again.' She said and began walking again.

'I just thought I could be of service?' Chuck replied and followed her.

'Why would you think that?'

'You look lost.' She laughed.

'Chuck is that another one of your pick up lines. Am I going to say something like, "I'm not lost" And then you reply with something along the lines of, "Really because you aren't in my bed." Type things.' Chuck laughed and he shook his head.

'Never have I had to use such a line and never will. You seem to think a reputation like mine can be grown from pathetic game like that.'

'No, I think its grown from you having the skill to pick out desperate girls.'

'What does that say about you?' she stopped walking and looked at him. He then added. 'I picked out you.'

'Yeah, but you didn't pick me up.' She continued walking still searching for Dan. Chuck was about to reply when they rounded a corned. Both him and Blair stopped in their tracks. Blair watched as some girl was being pinned against a wall by a guy she knew as Troy. She then watched as Dan pulled him off her and punched him. The next thing Troy had punched Dan who was about to punch him again. When suddenly Chuck was in the midst and had grabbed Troy and threw him aside.

'Troy. If you know what's good for you you'll fuck off.' She heard Chuck say. Just then another brown haired, green eyed boy had joined the group and stood protectively in front of the girl- who was trying to calm them down. Just then Troy stepped forward and threw another punch at the brown haired boy. Chaos then broke out. Troy punched whoever he could. Then Chuck and Dan grabbed him while the brown haired boy proceeded to punch him. The girl was now trying to physical break them all apart. Blair sighed and quickly walked over to the group. She stood just close enough to them and then managed to step in the middle of the brown haired boy and Troy before he could punch him again and stalled him. Dan then yelled at her to move. She glared at him and spoke in a rather cold voice.

'Calm down boys.' She said. They all looked at her. She was now in the middle of a circle. The girl had moved to the brown haired boys side. She turned to face Troy.

'Troy.' she looked at him dead in the eye. 'Listen to me carefully now. You are going to walk away from here and never bother any of us again. Especially her.' Blair pointed at Serena.

'Why would I do that?' Troy spat out. Blair lips curved upwards and she tilted her head.

'Well, because you don't want anyone to find out about the fun you had with one of your friend's barely legal sister.' Troy looked at her.

'Fuck you. You don't know anything.' Blair laughed.

'Now now Troy, you don't believe that and my patience is wearing thin. So should I call Rob and his parents or are you going to disappear?' he looked at her.

'Fine.'

'Apologize to her.' She said. He looked like he was about to argue when she whipped out her phone.

'Sorry Serena.' He replied softly.

'Let him go now, boys.' They did and then they all watched Troy walk away. Serena stepped forward and smiled.

'Who are you? And where have you been all my life?' Blair laughed.

'Blair Waldorf. He shouldn't be a problem anymore.' Serena nodded.

'Serena Van der Woodsen and thanks.'

'Blair Waldorf. I should have guessed.' Chuck said. Suddenly the girls were aware of the boys.

'Are you guys ok?' They said simultaneously. The boys nodded. Introductions then followed.

'I think its time to leave.' Nate eventually said. Blair nodded in agreement.

'Yes please.' Serena said. 'It was nice meeting you.' She said to Dan and Blair. Chuck put a hand on the small of Blair's back and leaned in to whisper into her ear.

'Nice meeting you, Blair. Your interest will grow.' Blair stepped away from him trying to ignore the voice in her head that was saying that her interested had already grown.

'Bass.'

They all left the party then.

* * *

Serena had gone back to her dorm and had gotten ready for bed but she couldn't fall asleep. She finally got out of bed and made her way over to Nate's dorm. She knocked softly and then waited a few seconds. She was about to leave when his door swung open.

'Serena?' he asked sleepily.

'I can't sleep.' She replied. He stepped aside to let her into his room. He closed the door and they walked to his bed. He rearranged the pillows and she got into the bed. She lay down beside him. A few seconds later he pulled her towards him. She adjusted herself so that she was resting her head on his chest. He wrapped her arms around her. After the night she had had this was exactly where she wanted to be. That thought worried her.

* * *

'Night, Dan.' Blair said. He gave her a small kiss on the head. He then walked away with his head filled with thoughts of Serena. Blair walked into her dorm room and then got ready for bed. She was exhausted. The night had been unexpected. How fascinated she was by Chuck shocked her. She also seemed to realize that how she felt around Chuck she hadn't felt like with any other guy before. She sighed confused and then comforted herself with the thought that she'd probably never see Chuck, Serena or Nate again. She then closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She had just fallen asleep when her phone got a text message. She heard it but decided not to read it until the next morning. Figuring it would probably just be Dan.

_A/N: Ok. I know this chapter was kind of fast paced but like I said, its just getting things rolling. Let me know what you think please! _


	2. Falling into Place

**A/N: Wow! I did not expect that many reviews for the first chapter. Wow. Thank you!!! I'm really glad that people are enjoying this story. This update took longer than I thought it would, i've been unexpectedly busy. But its here. And I hope you all like it. **

**Please Review and let me know what you think! **

**Chapter 2: Falling into Place**

Blair sighed, put her hands on her hips, and looked at Dan with an annoyed expression.

'I can't believe you are still going on about this, Humphrey.' She paused and shook her head. She then saw that Dan was about to say something and raised her hand to silence him and quickly added, 'No means No. You of all people should know this.'

'Look Blair, it's not like I'm asking a lot. Just for a way in.'

'Find your own way in. This way has me doing something I don't want to do.'

'Can't you do it for me? You like me remember? I'm your friend and all. Friends help out friends.' Blair gave a small chuckle and readjusted her bag.

'I don't like you that much. And I will help you,' she paused and interlocked her arm with his, 'here's a piece of helpful advice… go find her. She'll be more impressed if you find her directly and not go through her friend.' Dan laughed.

'No Blair, that won't impress her more. It would get me off you're back.'

'Yes well that too.' Blair agreed.

'Come on just help me out.'

'Dan, what you're asking me to do is play with fire here.' Dan stopped walking and regarded Blair seriously.

'Since when is Blair Waldorf scared to play with fire?'

'She isn't. She just knows which fires she can extinguish and or control. This isn't one of them.' Dan folded his arms he could feel his forehead creased. He didn't understand this. Blair would generally help him out with anything and she never backed down from a challenge. Here she was going against both.

'Why does this guy have you so worried?' Blair scoffed.

'He doesn't.' she replied indignantly.

'Then why won't you use him to help me?'

'Using people is not a nice thing to do.' Blair replied and looked down. Dan laughed.

'Please, you do it all the time.' Blair looked up and glared at a grinning Dan.

'True as that may be Humphrey, if you want me to help you, throwing out observations such as that previous one, is _not_ the way to go.' Dan rolled his eyes.

'Of all the times for you not to want to play a game, it had to be the one time I need you too.' Blair sighed.

'Look Dan, didn't you find out what she was studying?' He nodded his reply and she continued. 'Well then track down one of her classes, it can't be that hard, and wait outside the lecture theatre for her.' Dan shook his head.

'That's kind of stalker-ish.' Blair laughed and looked at her friend and sighed.

'Ok. Ok. I'll see if I can get her number for you without having to go through him. Let's end this conversation for now please, and just head off to our class. You've given me a headache.' Dan gave her a smile and they resumed walking to their class. Blair frowned to herself. She didn't want to do what Dan was asking her to do for the simple reason of: she didn't like the way she reacted to Chuck Bass. That night after the party she had met him at; he had sent her a text message. She knew that he knew people and so getting her number was probably really easy for him. However, she had almost fallen over when she saw the message was from him and much to her annoyance now- she kept thinking about what the message had said: "now you have my number for when you want to get a hold of me. Chuck." She hadn't responded and didn't plan on to. But when Dan found out about the message he saw it as a way to get Serena's number for him. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her- he informed Blair- and wanted her to use Chuck to get Serena's number for him. Blair was very much against this idea as she knew it would not be that simple as just getting a number with Chuck. Not to mention the fact that she didn't trust herself around him. The only problem now was that she knew Dan wasn't going to take no for an answer. Blair sighed and hoped that they managed to get her number without going through Chuck. Else she knew that she was going to ignite something she may not be able to extinguish.

* * *

Serena laughed. Chuck raised his eyebrows at her. She saw his expression and sobered.

'Aaaw Chuck, it's cute that you worry but really I have this under control.'

'Look Serena, I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about Archibald.'

'Well don't. He knows what we're doing. Hell, they were his rules in the first place.' Chuck cocked his head at her.

'His not me. He doesn't know how to play that game. He is going to break those rules. And it's not going to be an easy thing to fix.' Serena stared at Chuck and started drumming her fingers on the table.

'The way you're talking would suggest that you knew something I didn't.'

'I do. I know Nate and I know how he gets about you.' Serena shook her head.

'You're overreacting. We're just having fun.'

'And what's going to happen when this stops being fun and increases in intensity?'

Serena was about to reply when she saw Nate approaching. 'We'll discuss this later.' She said and motioned towards Nate. He eventually reached them and sat down. He looked angry.

'What's wrong?' Serena asked him.

'I'm just having problems with this one class. It's nothing I can't sort out though. What were you two discussing before I came? You both looked rather serious.'

'Nothing big-' Serena had begun but Chuck cut her off giving her a calculating look.

'Serena here was just asking for my opinion on her date tonight.'

'Chuck.' Serena vehemently said. Chuck turned to regard Nate- who was watching the both of them intently.

'When's this date?' Nate asked Serena.

'Tomorrow. Right, Serena?' Chuck answered. She glared at him. Chuck was trying to test his theory out that Nate couldn't handle what they had going and Serena didn't like that fact.

'Right. But I'm not so sure about it. As Chuck knows.' Chuck raised his eyebrows.

'I think you should go for it. Dan looked interesting. What do you think, Nate?' Nate turned to Chuck and then looked at Serena.

'Dan? That was that dude from the party? He's your date?'

'Apparently.' She mumbled. Nate shrugged his shoulders not quite catching her reply.

'You should go. Even if you're not sure about him. He may surprise you.' Serena stared at Nate and then looked at Chuck and titled her head. Her expression clearly said, "I told you that you were overreacting." Nate laughed and they both looked at him. He noticed their looks and began shaking his head.

'Sorry. I just find it funny that we both have dates in the same week, it's like the world wants us to,' Nate paused and searched for the right words that would not reveal too much. Eventually he found them and smiled, 'end our study sessions.' Serena seemed at a lost for words. She hadn't expected this revelation. In truth she was a tiny bit upset that Nate had reacted so calmly. Additionally, what bothered her more was the fact that she was bothered by the idea of him going on a date. She sighed and internally scolded herself. She glanced at Chuck who seemed amused by all of this and was talking to Nate- who in turn seemed completely non fussed. She finally snapped out of her daze and paid attention to their conversation.

'She's been eye-ing you for awhile. She looks like a lot of fun' She caught Chuck say. Nate nodded.

'Yeah, well I'll soon find out.'

'Ok. Chuck you and I need to head off to our lecture now.' Serena looked at Chuck and stood up. He was about to inform her that they still had some time before the next lecture began but thought better of it and stood up. They said bye to Nate and left. Once far enough away Chuck turned to Serena.

'It seems I was wrong. Archibald can play that game.'

'That shouldn't surprise you Chuck, you're generally wrong when it comes to… well… everything really.' He made a soft sound of amusement and then decided not to respond to her comment.

'Tell me Serena, why exactly are we walking to our class half an hour before it starts?' she turned and glared at him.

'Because you are going to help me get a date with Dan now, you got me into this, you're getting me out of it.'

'It seems I may have been wrong about Archibald not being the one able to handle this-'

'Chuck.' She interrupted angrily. 'Like I said you got me into this, you're helping me get out of it.' She suddenly noticed a smirk spreading across his face as though he had just discovered something new and exciting.

'Gladly. I have just the idea.' He said finally. He then launched into his idea.

* * *

Blair's day was finally over. It was late afternoon and she had been busy the whole day. She moved to her couch in her dorm, sat down, and realized she finally had time to contemplate who she should contact for Serena's number. There were a few people she knew she could get it from, but she wanted someone who wouldn't be to inquisitive as to why she wanted the number. She also wanted to find someone who wouldn't try and use this as a way of attaining a future favour from her. She sighed and after contemplating it for awhile she finally decided on who she would call. She reached for her phone (which was lying next to her) and as she scrolled down to the name in her phonebook- her phone suddenly began ringing. She didn't recognize the number. After a few more rings she finally answered.

'Hello.' She said and then a few seconds later her mouth dropped open. 'Is this a joke?' More silence followed from her. Eventually she seemed to snap out of it and became more involved in the conversation. 'Ok. I guess I can do that. Why?' she waited for the reply. 'Then I guess we should meet soon. How about in half an hour?' again she waited for the response. 'Ok, see you then.' Blair shut her phone and sat their in disbelief for a few minutes. Things we're definitely occurring in an unconventional way. In fact she couldn't quite believe the luck she was having. She stood up and began to get ready for her meeting in half an hour.

* * *

Blair spotted Serena easily. She walked over to the table she was at sat down opposite her. Serena had a cup of coffee in her hand and Blair noticed that there was another cup on the table. She quickly glanced around and spotted Chuck a few feet away on the phone. She didn't like that fact.

'Thanks for coming.' Serena said and smiled at her.

'No problem. I thought I was only meeting you though.'

'Ah Chuck insisted on being here.'

'Serena, why am I here? On the phone it didn't sound like you just wanted to hang out.' Serena shook her head.

'No… I mean not that I would mind hanging out with you, Blair. Its just I need your help.'

'Troy?' Blair suggested.

'Not this time.' The reply didn't come from Serena. Blair turned towards Chuck; said nothing and then turned her attention back to Serena.

'Well, then what do you need my help with?' They all remained silent for a bit.

'I need your help in getting a date with Dan. What's the best possibly way to go about that?' Serena finally said and then glanced nervously at Blair- who looked completely shocked.

'Pardon?' In Blair's mind she was sure that she had to be dreaming this. This was all becoming to easy and convenient. Dan wants her help in getting him her number; Serena wants her help in getting a date with Dan.

'Does it shock you that much that someone wants to go on a date with you friend?' Chuck asked after a minute had gone by and she hadn't responded. She glared at him.

'Why do you hang out with him?' Blair asked Serena who laughed.

'I was forced to since child hood. Didn't have a choice in the matter.'

'Makes sense.'

'Girls, your straying from the topic.' Blair suddenly looked at Chuck and then at Serena.

'Look Serena, I don't mind helping you. What I don't understand is why Chuck is here because this is something you could have done without him-'

'She got your number from me.'

'Even so. She could have arranged this so you weren't here. This makes me believe there's something more going on here.' She paused and folded her arms waiting for one of them to reply. Neither of them did. She raised her eyebrows and eventually continued. 'I wont help you if I think Dan is going to become some sort of collateral damage in a plan you two have going on. Actually if I find out that's the case I'll make it a point to make your lives as difficult as I can-'

'That isn't the case.' Serena began to assure her. 'Please.' Blair looked at Serena- she seemed sincere.

'Ok. I'll see what I can do.'

'I have one more favour to ask the date has to be tomorrow, Blair.'

'Serena, this is sounding more and more like some sort of game.' Serena sighed.

'It isn't.' she reassured again. She then suddenly smiled. 'I have an idea why don't you and Chuck come along together?' Blair started laughing and then noticed Serena's expression.

'Oh, you're serious?' Blair asked incredulous.

'Yeah, you can see then that Dan isn't apart of any game of mine. And you can watch Chuck and see that he doesn't use Dan in any plan… you'd be helping me out a lot and it would makes this less formal therefore removing any awkwardness there may have been.' Blair just stared at Serena.

'You're really serious about this?' Blair noticed her nodding her reply. She also noticed Chuck staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

'Well?' Serena asked after a few moments of silence.

* * *

**A/N: Ok! What Serena and Nate have going on will become clearer soon... I'm sure you guys can guess though. Again things will start getting more interesting. Just have to set some stuff up and I promise there will be more Chuck and Blair interactions. Please review! **


	3. Second Choices

**A/N: The reviews I am getting are really making my days! Thanks so much to everyone who reviews- they really are appreciated. Here's the next chapter. Not my favourite but hey without it the next three chapters (that I'm really excited for) wouldn't be able to happen. Hope you all like it!**

**Please review! Let me know what you think. **

**P.S. I'm currently watching the third season of gossip girl does anyone else seem to think that Nate doesn't get the best story lines? Which I think is such a shame because he could be one of the most interesting characters. But I am loving the season.  
**

**Chapter 3: Second Choices  
**

Blair put on her lip gloss and gazed at herself in the mirror. She was ready. She left the room and went to find her phone. She was about to leave when there was a knock at the door. She opened it and a nervous looking Dan entered into her dorm and sighed with relief, he then walked up to her, grabbed her arms and kissed her cheek.

'You've changed you're mind. Good. Thank you.' Blair shook her head.

'Uh Dan, I haven't changed my mind.' A look of utter confusion crossed his face.

'But you're all dressed up…'

'Yeah. I'm going out tonight. Just not with you and-'

'Come on. The guy can't be that bad.' Blair cocked her head at him.

'How would you know? Have you been on a date with him before?' she asked Dan irritated.

'Blair, you can only use that reasoning if you've actually been on a date with him, which you haven't-'

'Dan, I'm not going on your date with you. Why would you even want Chuck and me there? Go out with Serena. Show her a good time. Now leave before I hurt you.' Dan sighed.

'I guess you are right, if Serena and I are alone its easier for us to get to know each other. But if you were there it would be less pressure…' he trailed off noticing the look on her face. 'Where are you going?'

'On a date.' She gave him a mischievous grin and then opened her dorm door and stepped out. Dan followed. Blair closed the door and then turned to face him she kissed him on the cheek.

'Good luck.' And with that she walked away from him. She had organized the date for Serena with Dan. She had also mentioned to Dan that Serena had suggested that she and Chuck go with them. She had expected Dan to have the same incredulous reaction she had had, however he had seemed to think it was a good idea. He shared Serena's logic with the whole, "it would make things less awkward" reasoning. She had considered the idea for a brief few moments and then laughed at herself for considering it. Chuck Bass was one road she was not going down- whether on a 'fake' date or not. She hoped however that tonight would go well for Dan and Serena, she liked Serena and Dan needed someone like her. Blair shook her head and cleared her thoughts and focused her attention on the date she had tonight.

* * *

Serena was surprised at just how much of a good time she was having with Dan. Earlier that day she had come close to calling off the date- then she ran into Nate and decided against that course of action. At the start of the date she was skeptical of how the night would go but she quickly realized that any skepticism she had had been mistaken. She found that he was funny and seemed to be exactly what she needed. A good night out, with good company. She smiled to herself and remembered that she actually liked going on dates. Dan interrupted her thoughts.

'Where to next?' he asked her and stopped to look around at where they actually were. They had sort of just started walking and had forgotten to pay attention to where they were actually going. Serena smiled.

'I know just the place.' Five minutes later they had arrived at a small ice cream store. It looked delicate.

'More sweet stuff.' Dan mumbled and shook his head. Serena laughed and grabbed his hand.

'That's right, this sweet stuff you can never say no to, especially not at this store. The ice cream is on a league of its own.' She grinned at him and he went and bought them their ice creams. Chocolate for her, caramel for him.

* * *

Blair sat down at the table and mentally praised the choice of restaurant Chace had picked. Not to formal not to informal.

'This place is my little secret.' He said to her while taking his seat.

'A secret definitely worth sharing.' Blair added and smiled. She liked Chace so far. He was from the Upper East side, had baby blue eyes dark brown hair and a nice smile. And he was exactly what she was looking for currently. All she wanted to see now was how well they actually got along.

'So Blair…'

'So Chace, is it true what they say about you?' he grinned at her and ran a hand through his hair.

'Tell me what they say about me and I'll tell you which parts we can attempt to prove tonight.' She nodded once and smiled then gave a small laugh and continued on with the conversation.

* * *

Dan stopped laughing after Serena pushed him for the third time.

'That was not funny, Dan. You could have warned me.'

'And missed out on that scene?' he replied and started laughing again. A few seconds later she hit him softly and began laughing with him. Five minutes passed and they both finally managed to stop. Dan looked at his watch. It was late.

'I guess its time I get you home, Miss.' Serena looked at her phone. It was late they had been out for hours and they both had lectures the next morning.

'Yeah, I guess so.' She commented. They began walking back when an idea suddenly struck her. She stopped walking and looked at Dan seriously.

'Let's stay out the whole night and go back in the morning.'

'We have lectures tomorrow…'

'Come on, Humphrey. It'll be fun.'

'Hmmm…' he smiled and added, 'Ok.'

'Really?' Serena asked shocked. 'You're really up for this challenge?'

'Why do you sound so surprised by that?'

'I don't know.' She said and took out her phone. 'Ok we have about five hours to kill before we definitely have to go back.' Dan went and took her hand.

'Lets go find a party we can crash or a swimming pool we can break into.' Serena gave a short laugh.

'Are we in a movie now, Dan?'

'Only if you want us to be.'

* * *

It was late and Blair was having a good time but she was also tired and wanted to go home. They had gone to a party after dinner and they were still there. She was busy dancing with Chace when the song ended. She stepped aside and started to walk away from the dance area. Chace followed. He grabbed her hand and looked at her.

'You ok?' he asked. She nodded and gave him a small smile.

'Just tired. I think I'm going to head back.' She felt him squeeze her hand.

'Come on, I'll take you back.' She shook her head.

'No, if you want to stay-'

'No arguments, Blair.' She smiled again and they began to walk out. Once outside they began to walk to Chace's car. They had turned a corner when someone stopped Blair in her tracks.

'Well, isn't this just a coincidence?'

'Chuck.' Blair said. 'What are you doing here?'

'Going to a party.'

'Well, have fun.' She said and took one step when Chace turned to her.

'Who is this?' he asked curious.

'Chuck Bass.' Blair said slightly annoyed. Chace raised his eyebrows at her.

'You _know _Chuck Bass?' he had emphasized the word 'know' a lot. Blair gave one nod of her head when the implication of the emphasis hit her.

'I do not _know_ him like that!' she exclaimed.

'Now now Blair, you shouldn't lie to potential boyfriends. It's a bad way to start out.' Chuck commented and cocked his head at her.

'Chuck, you and I both know that, you _wish _I had something to lie about.'

'I don't believe in wishing, it's a waste of time. If I wanted you I would have you.'

'Cocky much? Please. Don't fool yourself, Bass. I'm not like other girls if I wanted you to want me… you would. Then and only then would you have a chance with me.' They seemed to have forgotten that Chace was there so when he spoke next it shocked them both a bit.

'Blair, lets go.' He said. She nodded.

'Bye, Chuck. Lets not meet for awhile.' She said and began walking away.

'Blair,' he called out and she looked back, 'your second choice of a date tonight falls short in comparison to your first.' Blair left Chace and walked up to him and lowered her voice so only he could here.

'You weren't ever my first choice and even if we had gone with Dan and Serena it wouldn't have been a date. _You'd_ have to ask me out for it to constitute a date and for you to even be in the "choice of the night" category.' Chuck smirked.

'I'll remember that.' He replied and then walked away.

Blair returned to Chace and apologized for that she then shoved Chuck to the back of her mind. Once back at her dorm she immediately got ready for bed and made a point of switching off her phone.

* * *

They had about an hour and a half before lectures started. Serena smiled at Dan.

'Thanks for the adventurous night, Dan.' He laughed. The night had been fun- not that adventurous- but fun they had crashed several parties that night and early morning they had found a secluded area which was perfect to watch the sun rise.

'Only my pleasure. Mind you when I'm sleep deprived in lectures today I don't know if I'll still consider it a pleasure.' Serena laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

'You'll be fine. See you soon.' She said and walked away waving at him. Dan shook his head and walked to his dorm to get ready for the day. Serena was making her way back to her dorm as well; she had a silly smile on her face, the type of smile one gets when they receive a text message from their new boyfriend. She really had a good time with Dan. She wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings, so was shocked when she suddenly looked up and saw she was in Nate's corridor- which was a given because she had to go through it to get to her dorm -what she didn't expect was a shirtless Nate standing just a bit outside his door.

'Morning.' She said when she came a bit closer to him.

'Morning.' He replied and then looked at her folding his arms. Serena felt really awkward and was no longer smiling. She began to nervously fidget with a bracelet she was wearing.

'Why are you out here?' she asked eventually. Nate ran a hand through his hair.

'Just needed to get something. Are you just getting in?' Serena looked at him and nodded still fidgeting with her bracelet. 'I take it your date went well then.' She looked at him.

'We pulled an all night-er. Went to quite a few parties.'

'Oh.' Was his reply.

'You sound like you expected me to have done something else…' she murmured. Nate shook his head. Serena didn't like how this felt with Nate. It was awkward, as though they both had secrets they were obviously keeping from each other.

'See you later?' she asked.

'Maybe, I have my date tonight.' He sighed. 'You should meet her one of these days. I think you'd like her.' She gave him a half-hearted smile.

'Yeah. Have fun tonight.' She said and began to walk away. In her head the phrase "guess our fun is over" kept repeating in her head. She didn't know why this bothered her so much. They only had a friends with benefits relationship going on, so it shouldn't bother her that he had a date and that he seemed to be really into this girl. It shouldn't bother her, but if she was brutally honest with herself it more than bothered her.

**A/N: The drama is coming. :) More exchanges between... well everyone. Please review. **


	4. The Lines are Drawn

**_A/N: I'm so sorry this took awhile longer to get up. I have been so busy with tests and assignments. But because I feel bad and i'm excited for the upcoming chapters. I'll have another chapter up sometime this weekend. Latest Monday. _**

**_Thank you so much for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated. So do me a favour and keep reviewing! Its pleasant writing a story you know people are at least enjoying. _**

**_Also the pov's in this chapter changed a bit. That will happen from time to time._**

**Chapter 4: The Lines are Drawn **

Two weeks had past and most of that time had gone by pleasantly. Dan had gone out with Serena a few more times. Blair was astonished at how much fun Chace actually was. She had also spent the odd afternoon with Serena and seemed to really like her. They were quickly becoming friends. Dan also seemed to be getting along with Chuck and Nate- seemingly more with Chuck than Nate.

Dan ran a hand through his head and put his book down. Just then Blair stepped out of her bedroom. She went and stood in front of Dan.

'I still don't see why I have to go to this.' She stated. He stood up leaving his book on the couch.

'Because she is our friend and she wants us to meet him.'

'I still, don't see why that means I have to go.' Blair shot out, shaking her head. Dan laughed.

'Come on, I know she isn't a best friend of yours, but she is a friend and she's a close one of mine. And you owe me.'

'For what?' she asked confused and a bit outraged.

'For something, you are bound to get me to do in one of your future schemes.' Blair shook her head and picked up her bag.

'Just remember that, Dan.' she smiled and walked to the door. They were meeting a friend of theirs at one of the campuses coffee shops. They're friend wanted to introduce them to the guy she was currently dating. It took them about five minutes to reach the place. They were there earlier than the agreed upon time, so they found a table and sat down to wait for her. They were in the middle of a conversation when they were suddenly interrupted.

'Hey.' A voice said and sat down. Blair looked over and smiled at Serena. Dan turned to face Serena who gave him a small kiss on the lips. 'What are you guys doing here?' she then asked them. Dan was about to answer when Blair began talking.

'Dan's friend-' Blair begun.

'Our friend.' Dan corrected and looked from Blair to Serena- who smiled and gave a small shake of her head.

'Right. My mistake. She wants us to meet the new guy she is dating.' Serena crinkled her eyebrows.

'That's really funny-' Serena had begun but was interrupted by another member joining the table.

'Nathaniel isn't here yet then?' Chuck asked Serena and leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. He then turned to Blair as though he was about to kiss her cheek. She gave him a look that clearly said: "no way is that happening" and folded her arms. Chuck gave her a cheeky grin and both Serena and Dan laughed.

'Humphrey.' Chuck then turned to Dan.

'Chuck.' He nodded.

'Blair and Dan here, are meeting a friend, who wants them to meet the new guy she is dating.' Serena said and looked at Chuck.

'You don't think?' he answered back.

'It's possible.' She replied.

'Care to explain that cryptic conversation?' Dan asked.

Just then Blair began laughing. Everyone turned to her. She pointed to two people who had entered the coffee shop.

'Of course Vanessa would be dating Nate.' Blair said to Dan. 'We we're lacking in some coincidences lately.'

'I guess it is possible.' Chuck mumbled out. Nate and Vanessa made their way over to the table. When they reached the table they both simultaneously said: "Hey guys." Vanessa turned to Nate.

'Nate, there's are my friends-'

'Dan and Blair.' He finished for here.

'You know them?' she turned to Dan and Blair. 'You know him?' They all nodded. A few moments passed in silence.

'Please Excuse Nate,' Serena said and stood up, 'he's seem to forgotten that you don't know us. I'm Serena.'

'Nice to meet you, Serena.'

'Chuck Bass.' Chuck then said. Everyone took a seat and the focus moved off of this coincidental meeting for a bit. Dan began speaking to Vanessa. Serena to Blair, and Chuck and Nate were watching everyone else as well as exchanging a few words. Serena found it unbelievable, that the person Nate wanted her and Chuck to meet happened to be one of Dan's friends. She couldn't help but think that this had the makings to turn into a Hollywood movie- drama and romance. Blair had just been pulled into the conversation with Dan and Vanessa. Serena leaned towards Chuck.

'Did you know about this?'

'Know about what?'

'That Vanessa was friends with Dan and Blair.' She was talking softly.

'Look Serena, I know I tend to know more about other people than the average person would, but my knowledge didn't extend this far. If it had, you can guarantee I would have made things much more interesting.'

'I'm not even going to ask what you mean by that last sentence.' She leaned back.

Just then Blair spoke up and caught everyone's attention. "Tell us, how did _you_ end up with him, Vanessa?" She had emphasized the word "you"- which Serena caught. Vanessa gave a small smile and began with an explanation of their simple meeting. Vanessa then asked how they all knew each other. "We met at a party." Was the decided answer.

'What are you studying?' Serena asked Vanessa.

'Irrelevant.' Chuck spoke before she could answer the question. 'What matters is if Vanessa here-'

'Has a personality?' Blair mumbled out. Everyone stared at her. She shrugged. 'What? I wasn't suggesting that Vanessa lacks one. She definitely has one.' In her head Blair was thinking that it was a personality which she didn't approve of in certain instances. 'Chuck here is generally, well…uh…not the friendliest. I was guessing his response.' Chuck laughed and cocked his head at her.

'Of course, and you're just a ray of sunshine, Blair.' he responded.

'Please continue, Chuck.' she replied coolly. He raised his eyebrows and nodded towards Vanessa- who didn't look too impressed.

'I was going to ask if Vanessa here, was willing to drag Nate to this party tonight. Archibald seems to be set against going.'

'It's boring, Chuck.' Nate spoke up.

'It's elite.' This caught Blair's interest but she had plans tonight with Chace. So a party was definitely out of the question. Vanessa smiled and took a hold of Nate's hand.

'I'm sure we can make an appearance. Right, Nate?'

He sighed and kissed Vanessa on the cheek. 'All right.' He then added. Chuck smirked.

'Gave in so easily there, Nate. You don't generally.' There was a sharp edge to Serena's voice, which wasn't missed by Nate and confused him.

'No point in wasting you're time with something you can't win.' Chuck watched this exchange with immense interest. Serena gave a short laugh and ran a hand through her hair.

'Taking the easy way out, Nate. That's ok, we all do it from time to time.' Chuck made an amused sound catching everyone's attention, and breaking the underlying tension between Nate and Serena.

'So Blair,' Chuck started. She rolled her eyes. 'How's Chace? When are we going to get to meet him officially?'

'You seem eager to see him again, Chuck. He doesn't swing that way.'

'Now now, Blair. Don't throw out false insinuations to distract us from the real question. Is there reason you don't want us to meet him? Anything wrong with him?' Chuck smirked at her and leaned back in his chair. She folded her arms.

'You irritate me.' Blair stated in a matter-of-fact way. Serena, Nate, Vanessa and Dan all laughed at that.

'Ok. Calm down you two.' Serena added. Dan looked down at his phone.

'Blair, we actually need to go. Time to help Jenny out.'

'Jenny?' Serena asked.

'My sister.' Dan answered. Blair stood up.

'Well, bye. Have fun bonding with Vanessa.' Serena shook her head at Blair. She noticed that there was a cold edge to Blair whenever she mentioned Vanessa.

'See you later, Dan.' Serena stood up and then moved over to him, to kiss him goodbye. Vanessa seemed shocked by that. They pulled away. Serena turned to Blair.

'Have fun with Chace tonight. Let me know what happens.' Blair grinned at her and nodded. Everyone else exchanged goodbyes and they left.

'Did you have to be so harsh with, Vanessa?' Dan asked Blair when outside.

'I don't know what you're talking about, Dan.'

'I forgave her. So you don't need to be like this towards her.'

'Yeah, lets talk about that forgiving nature of yours…' she replied and interlocked her arm with his.

* * *

It was night now and Blair had left for her date with Chace. Serena was sitting in Nate's room. She had gone over after she had gotten ready for her date with Dan. She just wanted to see Nate for a bit. She was sitting on his bed, in his room, well he was getting ready for the party he was going to with Vanessa and Chuck.

'You can't wear that shirt, Nate.'

'This is the fourth one you've said no too'

'You want to look good don't you?'

'No, I don't wont to go shirtless and if you keep saying no to every shirt, that may just happen.' Serena laughed. 'Wear the gray one.' He took out a shirt. She shook her head. 'No, the other one.' He nodded and found the one and then threw it on. A few minutes later he was ready to go out as well.

'Why don't you and Dan come to the party with us tonight?'

'Oh no. I'm not going to that party.' Nate sighed. Just then there was a knock at his door. He answered it. Chuck stepped in.

'Well this is surprise.' Chuck said. 'Serena, will you be joining us tonight?'

'No Chuck, just stopping by for a few minutes.' Chuck nodded and looked around the room. Taking in its appearance- a few parts of it were messy but overall everything still seemed to be in place. Serena stood up.

'I should be going. Enjoy the party tonight, boys.' She gave each of them a kiss on the cheek and left. Chuck straightened out the sleeve of his jacket and looked at Nate who was staring at his closed door.

'What's going on with you, Nathaniel?' Nate crossed his arms and turned to look at Chuck.

'What do you mean?'

'With you and Serena.'

'Nothing Chuck, we had a friends with benefit relationship and its over now. You know this.'

'It's never that simple with you, Archibald. Not when it comes Serena.' Chuck knew Nate and he knew that he always had a soft spot when it came to Serena. Currently he couldn't help thinking that Nate was ignoring the feelings he had for her.

'Chuck, man, there isn't anything there. We had our fun. Its Vanessa I'm with now.' Nate said this as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Chuck sighed. He knew what he was about to do could possibly create a lot of undesirable situations and or responses.

'Archibald, just consider then, that it may have been starting to mean more to Serena than a simple friend with benefits thing.'

'What?'

'Just consider it. And while you are at it consider that you may be fooling yourself.' Chuck didn't let Nate respond. He walked to the door and opened it. 'Let's go.' Nate just nodded his mind kept replaying what he had just been told. Nate really hadn't considered anything from Serena's side. He hadn't even considered how he really felt about him and Serena. He had meet Vanessa. She had meet Dan. They ended. He left it at that- there was no fuss. Why complicate matters when things were progressing naturally. The question Nate was considering now was: if things we're progressing the way he really wanted them too.

* * *

Blair and Chace were in the middle of their date. They had just sat down at a cute little coffee shop. Blair was about to suggest where they should go next when his phone began to ring. He looked at Blair and she smiled, letting him know it was ok to take the call. He answered and then stood up and left the table. Blair noticed that he seemed to get more anxious during the call. After a few minutes he came back but didn't sit back down.

'Blair, I'm sorry. Something has come up. I have to go sort it out.'

'Chace, you are not leaving me in the middle of our date.'

'I'm sorry. I have to.' he gave her a small kiss on the cheek and then quickly left. Blair watched him go and sat there in disbelief for a few minutes. She then stood up and made her way back to her dorm. The whole day had been strange and filled with unexpected surprises. She was kind of glad that she could now get ready for bed and wake up to a new day.

* * *

**A/N: Please review. I know not alot happened in this chapter. Well actually a few things did happen in this chapter that will be of great importance later on in the story... but you wont know what exactly those things are. Anyway, I know it seems like an irrelevant chapter but I liked it so please bare with me and this story! And I needed to bring Vanessa into the picture. Please review! :) :) I will update again soon. **


	5. Flavour of the Night

_A/N: I am a day late to post this chapter, let me explain why. On Sunday night at about midnight I finished this chapter. Or at least I thought I had. I then realized on Monday that I needed to add in a scene. So I wrote this scene on Monday in the afternoon. Then when I tried to upload the chapter to Document Manager it just wouldn't let me. I tried to upload it the whole of yesterday. So I'm sorry this is late. But at least it is here. _

_Thanks for the reviews! I really do appreciate them. Also just some things to mention. I didn't show the party Nate, Vanessa and Chuck went to in this chapter. Sorry. But it just wasn't needed. More Chair interaction is coming. This chapter has a considerable more amount of Chair than the last. Its just hard because I'm setting things up. I also will be trying to balance the Chuck and Blair story line with the Serena, Nate and Dan story line. However there will be chapters were the one storyline is focused on more. _

_I just thought I should mention that. I really appreciated all the reviews for the last chapter. So another thank you! Please review. It helps when you're writing to know that people like the story. Any way enough rambling, here is the chapter._

**Chapter 5: ****Flavour of the Night **

'Chace, this is the third time over the span of a week and half that you have cancelled on me.' She stopped well Chace replied. 'If you don't want to go out with me, just say so. I'll survive.' Again she paused well he replied. 'Well, if you do want to go out me. I hate to point out the obvious, but that would actually involve you having to pitch for a date or stay for the whole thing.' Again he replied. 'Right.' Was her reply and then she slammed her phone shut. Blair was furious. Chace had cancelled on her again. It seemed that every time they had a date something would go wrong. Either something came up with a friend, or a professor needed his help etc etc. Blair was tired of it. She would have ended things with him after he had left her half way through their date the other night, but she had fun with him. And they had one or two dates go on perfectly during this week and a half. So she gave him the benefit of the doubt. However, she was starting to rethink her course of action. She sighed and took out her phone again. She made a quick phone call and then was on her way to meet a matter of minutes she reached the building she wanted to be at. She made her way to the second floor and turned down the corridor. She reached a brownish- reddish door and knocked on it. A few seconds later the door opened.

'Wow. You look irritated.' Dan replied and moved out of her way so she could enter the room. She made her way over and sat on the couch. Just then Serena came out of Dan's room.

'Hey, B.' she said.

'Hey, S.' Blair replied. They had spent more time together over the past week and half, and had developed this nick name system of only using the first letter of the others first names to refer to each other. Serena made her way over and sat down on the couch next to Blair.

'Did Chace cancel again?' Blair nodded her response and then sighed. Serena made a sound of disapproval. Last night Blair had been with Serena. She had ended up telling her about Chace's unusual behaviour and that she had a date with him the next day and wanted to know what Serena thought she should do.

'Blair, drop this guy.' Dan chimed in and handed her a bottle of water. 'You're Blair Waldorf since when do you let any guy treat you like this?'

'He has a very good point. You shouldn't let any guy treat you like this.' Serena added. Again a sound of sighing reached their ears.

'I know. I don't know what's wrong with me.'

'I do. You like him. Arguably a lot.' Her head turned towards Serena.

'I don't like your explanation, Serena.' Blair was feeling terrible. She felt irritated and disappointed and down right frustrated.

'If he does this again… you need fine the old Waldorf and put him in his place.' Dan chimed in and sat down next to her. Blair shook her head and scoffed. She glanced from Serena to Dan and stood up.

'I won't let this get to me. No. I'm better than this. It's his loss.' Serena smiled at her.

'Good. Now, last night I was talking to Chuck and he invited you and Dan and the rest of us to this restaurant slash club his dad's own. I told him you had plans but now that you're free you're coming.' She raised her eyebrows at Serena who then continued talking. 'Don't bother arguing, I will physically drag you there if I have to.' Blair sighed and shook her head. Dan stood up and held out his hand for Serena who took it and stood up as well.

'Now, that that's settled lets get going.' He replied and smiled. He was glad Blair was coming along. He got along with Chuck and Nate to an extent. Nate and him never really spoke much. He found Chuck a bit easier to talk to, when he wasn't flirting with some girl. Vanessa was pretty much always with Nate. Serena spent most of her time with him but every once in awhile her attention was captured by Nate or Chuck. For these reasons Dan was glad Blair would be there, he wanted his ally there.

* * *

Half an hour later they were at the club slash restaurant. Blair was astonished at it. The restaurant was classic, beautifully decorated. Paintings adorned the walls, the tables were intimately lit. Then when you walked through a door at the far end of restaurant the establishment changed into a club. The club was more modern and it also impressed her. There was a dance floor, a few bars and couches around the club- all had a modern look to them. After she had a look around the place she returned to the table in the restaurant that they all were at. She sat down next to Serena who was on her left and Chuck who was on her right.

'What do you think?' Chuck asked her grabbing her attention.

'It's impressive. You're Dad has incredible taste.' She replied. Not really looking at him.

'I'm glad you approve, Blair. This place was my idea. I designed it, my Dad eventually gave me the funding for it.' Blair finally looked at Chuck. She was shocked.

'This was your idea?' he nodded. 'That's incredible and surprising. Chuck Bass has created something of some worth. Who ever would have thought?' He laughed.

'I'm full of surprises, Blair. I could show you a few more tonight back at my-'

'And the conversation ends here.' She cut across him and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. He still held her gaze though and that familiar feeling of fascination she associated with Chuck began to surface again. She finally broke the gaze and turned towards Serena who was talking to Dan.

* * *

Serena laughed and shook her head at Dan.

'I cannot believe you just said that.'

'What? Come on you know I'm right.'

'Yeah. Fair enough. But-' she paused and rubbed the back of her neck she could feel someone watching her. 'Ok. You're right.' Dan took hold of her hand this immediately sparked a tingling feeling throughout her arm. She smiled at him and leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the lips. Things were starting to heat up between them and she liked that fact.

'Could you two not do that here? This is a respectable place. ' Chuck drew Serena's attention away from Dan. She glanced at Nate briefly who was watching her.

'Should we go the club then, Chuck?' Chuck laughed.

'Vanessa and Nathaniel here are controlling their urges, I'm sure you can.'

'That's because Vanessa is really good at concealing things.' Blair ended up saying before she realized she had even said it.

'Blair.' Dan chided he gave her a stern look. She gave him an irritated look and then added.

'I mean she has been friends with me for a long time, I've taught her a thing or two. Right, Vanessa?'

'Right. Blair is just full of lesson. She's very helpful in learning what to do and what not to do.' Blair smirked at Vanessa. Only her and Vanessa would understand the underlying meaning of their conversation, and Blair was grudgingly impressed that Vanessa was fighting back.

'Dan, how long have you known Blair and Vanessa?' Nate asked.

'Vanessa since I was about six. Blair since I was about sixteen.' Dan then asked how long Serena, him and Chuck all knew each other. Serena tuned them out and turned to Blair.

'You don't seem to like her much. Why?' Serena said to Blair softly and inclined her head towards Vanessa so Blair knew who she was referring to. She then rested her head on her chin waiting for a response.

'Why does it matter?' was her response.

'I guess it doesn't. But it's an interesting dynamic here.'

'If I answer your question will you answer a question of mine?' Blair asked Serena.

'As long as this conversation stays between us, Blair.' She nodded in agreement and then Blair stood up.

'Let's go to the club, Serena.' Serena stood up and the two girls left with no explanation. Inside the club they had privacy and the music wasn't loud enough for them not to be able to hear the other. They sat down on one of the couches.

'So why don't you like Vanessa?'

'Long story short. Vanessa and Dan used to date not so long ago and she did something which absolutely crushed him. He forgave her for it and they went back to being friends; I don't think he should have. When then time comes Dan will explain everything.' Serena didn't know what to make of that. It wasn't the answer she was expecting.

'What did you want to ask me?' Serena eventually replied.

'What's going on with you and Dan?' Blair gave her a small smile.

'I don't know, things are heating up but what exactly he considers us to be. I have no idea.'

'What do you want to end up as, Serena? I ask as the over protective friend.'

'Blair, my attentions here aren't bad.' Serena was surprised at how protective Blair actually sounded. They carried on the conversation for a few more minutes when suddenly Dan, Nate, Chuck and Vanessa came and joined them.

'Ladies, your company was missed.' Dan said. They all sat down. The atmosphere was suddenly very serious.

Blair noticed this. 'I want to dance. Come on Dan.' Dan looked at Serena who laughed and added.

'Go.' Dan interlocked his and Blair's arm and they made their way to the dance floor. Serena watched them go. She then noticed Nate giving her an odd look. Which Chuck must have noticed as well.

'Vanessa, care to dance?' Chuck then offered. He didn't really wait for a response and held out his hand. 'Nate will come save you in a few minutes.'

* * *

Blair noticed Chuck and Vanessa make their way to the dance floor and begin dancing. She then looked back and saw Serena and Nate having a conversation. It looked then the song changed. It was slower. Dan pulled Blair closer and they began to slow dance.

'This is an interesting place.' Dan commented. Blair nodded in agreement. Just then she felt another hand on the small of her back. They stopped dancing.

'Mind if I cut in?' Chuck asked.

'Yes.' Blair replied.

'I wasn't asking you, Waldorf. What do you say, Dan?' Dan grinned and took a step backwards.

'Dan.' Blair chided. He stepped closer and then whispered in her ear.

'Give him a break. He may surprise you.' Dan then moved away and went to dance with Vanessa. Blair kept replaying his words in her mind. That was exactly what she was afraid of, that Chuck would surprise her. Just then she felt Chuck take hold of her one hand and place the other on the small of her back. Instinctively she placed her free hand on his shoulder. That fascinating feeling grew again and where Chuck touched her, her body was tingling. She tried to suppress all the feelings she was suddenly feeling.

'I'm surprised you aren't out with Chace.' He then spun her out and brought her back in.

'His busy tonight.' Chuck smirked.

'Cancelled the date then?' Chuck asked.

'What?' Blair asked shocked.

'Serena told me you had plans with Chace.'

'Chuck, dancing with you is bad enough. Could we please not have this conversation?'

'You're very defensive, Blair.' He spun her out again. 'You should try and relax. Have some fun.'

'I have fun all the time.' She replied indignantly.

'Yeah, but do you really enjoy it? Because I don't think you do.' She cocked her head at him.

'Are you trying to figure me out, Chuck? Let's turn this game around on you. Why do you feel the need to sleep with all these different girls? Why not get a girlfriend? Are you scared?' He gave a short chuckle.

'I sleep with all these girls because I like sex. I don't want a girlfriend because they come with rules and I haven't found anyone worth giving up my freedom for rules. I'm really simple, Blair. Nothing to figure out... You on the other hand... Aren't like other girls.'

'And so that means that there must be something to figure out about me?' He nodded.

'There isn't.' she replied not wanting to hear what he thought there was to figure out about her.

* * *

Serena sighed Nate was starting to irritate her.

'Why are you bringing this up now, Nate?'

'We need to talk about this, Serena.'

'No, we don't. We don't have any unfinished business.' She stated she was confused by all this. And didn't understand why he was having this conversation now. A few weeks ago when she first met Dan she would have understood if he brought it up...but not now.

'Look, we had our thing going on. And it just ended because you met Dan I met Vanessa. But,' he paused seeming to search for the right words. 'Are you ok with the way we ended?'

'Nate, we had a friends with benefits thing going on. It's not like that requires a proper break up. I'm fine. You're fine with that ending, right?'

'Yeah. Of course. I mean Dan and Vanessa are in the picture now.' Serena couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed at his answer.

'I just want to make sure; that your feelings weren't growing beyond our little arrangement or anything, Serena.' Nate answered softly. She looked at him and he held her gaze.

'No. They weren't.' she replied softly and a small part of her was yelling out that she was lying. 'Were yours?' he shook his head as a response.

'We had our rules. We didn't break them. So no harm done there, Nate.' Nate sighed.

'Yeah, no harm done.' Serena broke their gaze. She felt rather strange all of a sudden as though she were about to burst into tears.

* * *

'Why do you waste your time with someone like Chace?' Chuck asked Blair.

'His not a waste of time, Chuck.'

'His not a challenge for you either. You're going to get bored of him easily.'

'You don't know me.'

'You'd be surprised about how much I can tell about you.'

'Really? Enlighten me?' Blair asked. Chuck began to move his hand that was on her back up and down it. It was sending shivers throughout her body.

'I know you like a challenge, you like being able to get people to do what you want, you like the elite scene. Your friends mean a lot to you. You don't like being played.' Blair didn't know exactly what to say. So Chuck continued. 'Chace isn't for you, his easy to manipulate.'

'How would you know that?' Chuck seemed caught off guard by that question.

'A hunch.' Was his eventual reply. Blair nodded.

'How about you just shut up, Chuck and dance with me?' Blair eventually asked. She suddenly had a lot to think , she didn't want to exactly stop dancing with him just yet.

* * *

'So, we're ok?' Serena asked Nate.

'Yeah.' Nate replied.

'Nate, we had our chance right? I mean if something more were to happen with us it would have by now, right?' Nate stared at her. Serena was waiting anxiously for his reply.

'I don't know.' He eventually said. 'But what I do know is that it evidently isn't our time now. I mean I really like Vanessa. ' Serena nodded again and smiled at him softly. Trying once more to suppress this horrible feeling she was suddenly over come with.

* * *

The music changed again and Blair broke away from Chuck.

'You got your dance, Chuck. That's all you're getting tonight.' She said and walked away. Her skin was still tingling from the parts Chuck had contact with. She made her way over to Serena. When she saw Serena and Nate she almost turned around and walked to the bar. But Serena saw her and called out her name.

'Serena, can I ask a quick question. Last night you told Chuck I had plans, did you tell him they were Chace?' Serena looked puzzled for a second and then eventually replied.

'Yeah, I think I mentioned they were Chace.'

'Thanks.' Blair replied and sat down. Just then Vanessa, Dan and Chuck made their way back over. They all sat down. Blair was about to say something when Vanessa spoke.

'I almost forgot…' she then went on to explain that this band she liked was coming to a small town (not to far away from their varsity) during their four day break they had next week. She thought it'd be a good idea if they made an outing out of it and all went. After much consideration they all decided that it was a good idea, and that they all would go during the break, to this small town to see the band. After this Blair decided to go home. She wanted some time to think some things through with Chace and Chuck.

* * *

Two days later Blair was sitting with Serena, Dan and Chuck. They had met for coffee. They were currently still waiting for Vanessa and Nate. Blair looked at Chuck and then to Serena.

'I have a date tomorrow night with Chace,' Blair said, 'so I was thinking that maybe you and I could go shopping for an outfit during the day tomorrow?'

'Yeah. Definitely.' Serena replied. Blair smiled and glanced at Chuck again. Half an hour later they all had to leave for their lectures.

The next day Blair and Serena had gone shopping. Blair found a strapless dress black dress that she absolutely adored. Serena found a red dress that flowed but fit her perfectly. They were back at Blair's door getting ready for their dates that night. Blair with Chace. Serena with Dan. Suddenly Blair's phone rang. She answered it and smiled.

'Let me guess. You can't make it tonight?' Blair said. Serena watched her for a few seconds. 'It's ok. Talk later.' Blair said and ended the call.

'Did Chace cancel again?' Serena asked astounded.

'Don't worry, I expected this.' Blair replied which confused Serena. An hour later Serena had left for her date. Blair took out her phone and made a quick call.

'Thanks for the information.' She said and then ended the call. She got up. In her black dress and went and checked her make up. She then grabbed her bag and left. Ten minutes later she arrived at the restaurant she wanted to be at. She walked in and then spotted the person she was looking for, sitting at a corner table opposite a girl. Blair straightened her back and began walking there. A waiter tried to stop her but she ignored him. She reached the table and walked straight up to Chuck.

'Chuck!' She exclaimed. 'I can't believe it's you.' Blair sat down at the table. Chuck looked at her skeptically.

'What are you doing, Blair?'

'I just couldn't resist coming to say hi. I mean not after that night we had.' She paused and looked at the girl at the table. 'Oops… I probably shouldn't have said that.'

'What are you going on about?' Blair ignored Chuck's question and looked at the girl again and then back at Chuck.

'Is this tonight's flavour of the night?' she asked. The girl looked shocked.

'Chuck, what is she talking about?' The girl asked quickly. Blair replied before Chcuk could.

'Oh Hun, did you think you and Chuck we're going to have more than one night together?' She smiled at her. 'Let me guess, his flattered you, then ignored you then paid attention to you again. His shown his appreciation for you in some form. And now you're here. You're the flavour of the night. You won't hear from him again after tonight.' The girl looked shocked. 'I know.' Blair added.

'She doesn't know anything.' Chuck responded angrily.

'Why so defensive, Chuck? And please note there was no denial from him.' She added the last part towards the girl. 'Should I not have pointed out that she was the flavour of the night?' She continued looking at Chuck and feigning confusion. The girl got up. She seemed furious. She moved around the table towards Chuck and in one swift movement she slapped him and then turned and left.

'What the hell, Blair?' Chuck turned to her and rubbed his cheek.

'What? I was just repaying the favour. You sabotaged my dates.' Chuck stared at her.

'How did you find out?' Blair was surprised that he didn't even deny any of it.

'I pieced it together. The other night you kept talking about how he was easily manipulated. Which made me view things in a different light. Then I realized that every time my date got cancelled or Chace ended up having to leave half way through it, you had previous knowledge that I would be seeing him. I either mentioned it or you found out through someone else, like Serena. And then I realized that the few dates that I didn't have any problems with, you didn't know I was seeing him. Yesterday, I wanted to test my theory. So I made sure you knew that I was planning on going out with Chace tonight. And then suddenly today he cancelled. Allowing me to believe that my theory was correct.' She paused and then titled her head to look at Chuck from side. She gave him a smirk and then continued. 'What I should have also realized was that all these distractions and things that came up for Chace we're to co-incidental. To planned for them to be random. Which means someone with incredible manipulative skills would have had to be behind it. And since it wasn't me. The only other person I know with such skills, is you, Chuck. Don't do it again, Chuck. Or I won't me so mild in my pay back next time.' Blair then stood up to leave. Satisfied by the expression of disbelief on Chuck's face. As she was about to turn around he grabbed her arm.

'Not so fast. You know what I like, Blair?' He paused.

'No, but please do continue wasting my time and inform me about what you like, Chuck.' She snapped.

'I like that I get to you.' He replied and then stood up to face her. Blair's eyed narrowed at him.

'You don't get to me; I get to you because you can't have me.' Chuck smirked and pulled her closer. He then moved a piece of her hair behind her ear, and then began to trail his finger down her neck and then her arm.

'If you just gave in, life would me much more pleasurable. I wouldn't have to play these games. You can't deny that I have some sort of effect on you.' She was angry and her skin was ablaze at his touch but she didn't want this.

'You do nothing to me.' She stepped back from him. 'Leave me alone, or I'll start playing this game as well and you will loose.' She paused and then repeated. 'Leave me alone.' She turned around and was about to walk away when Chuck spoke up again.

'Leaving you alone will be hard next week, when we go on that little trip.' Blair looked back at him, she had forgotten about agreeing to go on that trip to see the band Vanessa liked. She then began to walk away. Ignoring him and leaving him standing alone in the restaurant. Chuck watched her go and sat back down. Things we're going to get more interesting and he knew it.

* * *

_A/N: Please review! The next update will be coming soon._


	6. Short Drive Long Walk

**_A/N: Ok, I must apologise I know this update is long overdue. I've just been so busy. Also I rewrote this chapter like six times. What I just need to mention is that the next few chapters are really like parts of one really long chapter. I'll have the next chapter up sometime this week. _**

**_Also Thank you for the amazing reviews I got last chapter! Please keep reviewing! It really makes writing that much more enjoyable. _**

**Chapter 6: Short drive... Long Walk**

'I still think we should be going in two cars.' Blair mumbled while walking past Dan. He caught what she said and nodded his head in agreement. He then turned to talk to Nate- who was still on the phone- Dan sighed and turned around to wait for the call to end. Serena was leaning against the car watching them all. They were about to leave for their weekend away. They had Thursday and Friday off in addition to Saturday and Sunday. The concert was only on Friday but they had decided to leave on Wednesday late in the afternoon, so that they were there for the whole of Thursday and the rest of the weekend. It had also been decided that they would all go down in Nate's car. It was big enough for all of them. But Serena couldn't help but think that Dan and Blair's idea to go in two cars wasn't such a bad one. With two cars you had more space not to mention more freedom. However it had been decided on and she new it was futile to try and change that plan. Her gaze trailed over to Dan and she watched him patiently wait for Nate to end his call. She smiled to herself and walked over to Dan.

'He tends to take a long time on the phone, its one of his annoying traits.' Dan smiled at her and took hold of her hand pulling her a bit closer to him.

'Well, that's ok; I now have something else to pass the time with.' And with that Dan pulled Serena into a kiss. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck.

* * *

Blair was standing a few feet away from everyone else. She was slightly irritated and was trying to shake off her bad mood. Her day had just not been going well and consequently she desperately wanted to be on the road now. They couldn't leave however, until Vanessa and Chuck had got there. She was about to go over to Dan to ask him when Vanessa was expected, when she looked over and saw him pull Serena into a kiss. They had been oddly more affectionate these days- that was another thing she was desperate for- the days she didn't have to see them making out. She moved her gaze from them over to Nate. Blair's eyebrows suddenly raised and she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. In her mind she scolded herself for missing what was being revealed to her currently. Nate was watching Serena and Dan and the expression on his face clearly showed he was not happy at their little show of affection. Blair watched him watch Serena intently. He didn't move he didn't draw his eyes away from her. He seemed to forget he was even on the phone. Blair found this very interesting. She continued watching him- she only moved her gaze away when he realized what he was doing and turned around. A few minutes later she looked over at him and noticed he had ended his call. His back was still towards Serena and Dan. Blair smirked to herself and walked over to him.

'You know if we took two cars you wouldn't have to witness that,' she said once she had reached him.

'Witness what?' He replied giving her an almost convincing confused look.

'Nate, if you have a thing for Serena why are you dating Vanessa?'

'If I was dating Serena then Dan wouldn't be. And he seems so happy why would you want that taken away from him?' he replied and folded his arms. Blair smiled at him and gave a short laugh.

'An evasive and distracting reply, you have skills Archibald,' she said.

'I've been told,' he replied and gave her a half smile.

'You know I'll eventually figure you out, Nate and the whole situation with you and Serena.'

'If your anything like Chuck has said you are… I know you will. That doesn't mean I'll help you out with the "figuring out part".' Blair was suddenly shocked.

'What has Chuck said about me?'

'What does it matter?' Nate cocked his head at her. She took a deep breath and then let it out.

'It doesn't matter. Anyway, moving along, about this one car thing-' she was interrupted before she finished her sentence.

'Blair, it isn't a long drive. It's a few hours at the most. You'll survive.' As Nate finished talking his phone began to ring. He looked at Blair who nodded, smiled and then walked away. She walked towards Dan and Serena who had finally broken apart.

* * *

' The need for oxygen won out I see,' she commented, Dan shook his head.

'What were you talking to Nate about?' Dan asked changing the subject.

'About taking another car.' Blair decided it was best to leave out the part of their conversation where they discussed his hidden feelings towards Serena.

'Any luck?'

'No, it's apparently a short drive.' she offered up as an explanation. Blair turned her attention to Serena -who was watching them and occasionally Nate.

'Do you know when Chuck will be getting here?' she asked Serena who shook her head.

'Which reminds me Vanessa said she'd be here soon.' Dan added in.

'Yay.' Blair replied sarcastically. This again received a shake of the head from Dan.

'I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that,' Serena replied while trying not to smile, 'I should probably give Chuck a call.' Serena took out her phone and walked away from them. Dan folded his arms and gave Blair a stern look.

'Promise me you will behave this weekend?'

'What do you mean, Dan?' She replied in an attempt at an innocent voice.

'You had this look, I noticed it earlier,' he paused and nodded at her to counteract the shaking of her head she was doing, 'and every time you get that look something happens and it's generally a bad something. So promise me?'

'I'll behave,' she said, 'in whatever way is necessary to make this trip go as smoothly as possible.'

'That's the closest I'll probably get to a promise isn't it?'

'Hey!!' The next voice they heard didn't belong to Dan or Blair it belonged to a rather happy Vanessa. Dan cocked his head and raised his eyebrows at Blair, who immediately plastered on a smile and turned to Vanessa.

'Hey!' she said.

* * *

Five minutes later Chuck had arrived. Everyone began to pack their bags into the car. Halfway through it all Nate pulled Chuck aside.

'I need your help, Chuck.'

'In some trouble, Archibald?'

'Not yet, but I could be. Blair has shown interest in me and Serena and our type of relationship. I don't want her meddling or finding anything out. Can you prevent that from happening? Distract her this weekend?' Chuck smirked and put his hands in his pocket.

'Don't worry, Nathaniel. I'll keep her distracted.' Nate nodded and they both walked back to the car.

* * *

They had been on the road for twenty minutes now, it was pitch black outside and it was oddly quiet in the car. Vanessa was in the front with Nate- who was driving. Dan was next to Serena and Chuck had somehow managed to sit next to Blair.

'So…' Serena eventually said. 'How about we put some music on?'

'Good idea.' Vanessa replied and immediately dealt with the music. Blair turned to face Chuck.

'Any games you plan on playing, this weekend, which I should know about?' she asked sharply.

'The idea of you playing a game with me Waldorf, tempts me enough to actually create one.'

'Oh ok. Yeah no, I don't want to hear such things,' Dan quickly spoke up before Blair could. 'Vanessa, put the music up.'

'Don't spoil the fun, Dan! These two have rather interesting conversations.' Serena chimed out and titled her head towards Chuck and Blair.

'His twisted,' Dan commented, 'No offense, Chuck.' He added.

'Yeah so is Blair.' Vanessa supplied this piece of information and failed to add in that no offense was meant.

'That's what makes their conversations so interesting.' Serena concluded.

'You guys do realize that if you keep talking they can't continue their conversation.' Nate added and looked at Chuck and Blair through the rear view mirror. Everyone suddenly kept quiet.

'You don't actually think we're going to carry on now? Anyway I prefer that my conversations with Chuck are kept brief.' Blair finally spoke up. Chuck laughed.

'Preferences can always be changed.'

'Not when it comes to you, Chuck,' Blair replied and turned to face him again.

'Especially when it comes to me, have you forgotten that I get to you?'

'Oh this again, Bass,' she looked directly into his eyes, 'yeah you get to me,' and she started to trail her finger along his chest, 'in the worst way possible,' she said rather seductively. Chuck stared at her intently. She stopped suddenly and smiled. They seemed to forget there were four other people in the car with them. Blair eventually sat back and broke their eye contact and finally made her point. 'Yet, I'm not the one turned on right now, so by that logic it would seem that I get to you not the other way round.' She said and turned to look at him once more. Chuck shook his head.

'See twisted.' Serena said breaking the tension in the car. Dan, Vanessa and Nate broke out into laughter.

* * *

About an hour had passed and random conversations were going on in the car. Serena was in the middle of a sentence, when a song suddenly came on and caused her to abruptly stop talking. Dan stared at her concerned.

'Serena?' he asked uncertainly. She wasn't paying attention. She had caught Nate's eye in the rear view mirror and grinned at him. She suddenly felt a hand on her arm and turned to look at it and then up at Dan.

'You ok?' he asked her again with a fair amount of uncertainty in his voice.

'Yeah ,' she said and then turned back to stare at Nate, 'I just love this song.'

'Me too.' Nate suddenly added in. Serena suddenly felt someone staring at her, she turned to her right and saw Chuck watching her. She shrugged and he nodded his head once.

* * *

Blair was about to ask Serena why she loved the song when she suddenly noticed the car slowing down and bit of smoke was coming out of the front.

'Uh Nate, is that normal?' she asked. He didn't seem to hear her as he was busy talking to Vanessa.

'Nate!' she said again a bit more loudly. Chuck turned and stared at her. She pointed to the front of the car.

'Nathaniel,' Chuck said and immediately caught his attention, 'your car is smoking.'

'Shit.' Nate exclaimed and immediately pulled over to the side just as the car's engine cut off. 'This hasn't happened before.' He stated.

'It's probably just over heating, give it a few minutes.' Dan supplied. They all sat there in silence well the car cooled down.

'Ok, I think its safe enough to try it again.' Dan eventually said. Nate nodded and tried to switch on the car. It just wouldn't work. He tried a few more times and each time the car would just not start.

'This cannot be happening.' Serena said to no one in particular.

'I think it is.' Blair replied to her though. Nate tried again and still nothing.

'Let's go have a look.' Dan suggested and they all got out the car. Blair went and stood with Serena.

'Dan's really good with cars, I'm sure he'll sort this out.' Blair said to Serena- more to comfort herself. Three minutes later Dan sighed.

'Yeah this car isn't going anywhere anytime soon.' He then proceeded to explain what was wrong. After he finished talking they all simultaneously whipped out their phones.

'Nothing.' Serena said.

'Anything?' Vanessa asked Nate who shook his head.

'No luck my side.' Dan added.

'You cannot be serious, how is there no reception out here?' Blair asked angrily.

'Probably because we are in between towns.' Vanessa supplied.

'Well that's just great.' Everyone turned to Chuck to see if he had any luck. He walked closer to them and shook his head.

'Great.' Serena said and sat down on the ground. 'What are we going to do?' No one said anything. Eventually Vanessa spoke up.

'Well, on the bright side at least we're all together.' Blair scoffed at Vanessa.

'Yeah, we don't need optimism currently, we need a solution.' She replied sharply. Chuck gave a soft laughed at that.

'Well, why don't you suggest something then, Blair?' Vanessa shot back. Dan could see this was going to turn ugly very quickly. So he interrupted.

'Yeah, um no,' he said, 'I'm going to have stop you there.' he gave a sharp look at Blair and Vanessa.

'I guess we could wait for another car to come by?' Serena suggested.

'One of us could go for help?' Chuck suggested.

'I'll go,' Nate said, 'its my car anyway. You guys can just wait here.' Serena stood up.

'You can't go alone! Its pitch black.' She exclaimed.

'I'll be fine.' He said.

'No, you don't know that. You can't go alone.'

'Serena, stop worrying.' He shot out. Serena was a bit taken aback at how harsh he had sounded and turned to look at Blair.

'I'll go with you, Nate.' Vanessa said. Blair sighed and shook her head.

'Archibald, are you going to tell us that's it's a short walk? Because it may have been a short drive but there's no denying that it's a long walk. And I don't think Vanessa here is going to provide much protection for you.' Blair bluntly stated. Serena did have a point, it was dark and they were technically in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't go alone. She ran a hand through her hair and then added. 'Why don't we all go?'

'How is that any better?' Nate shot out.

'I believe that Blair's logic is following the optimistic route here of, it's better for us to all be together.' Chuck supplied the response. Tensions were high again. Nate looked as if he were about to argue with the idea when Serena walked back to the car and took out her hand bag.

'Well, we better get going. Like Blair said it's going to be a long walk.' She stated firmly. Blair and Vanessa went and got their handbags as well. They decided to leave their main luggage in the car. They were about to leave when Dan stopped them.

'Wait. Girls, change out of your heels. Otherwise it will be a long and painful walk.' Serena, Blair and Vanessa quickly did that. They then began the relatively long walk to the next town.

* * *

**A/N: Please Review!**


	7. Here Comes the Fun

_A/N: I am so sorry this update took so long. Life just got hectic. Anyway here it is. The first half has more Serena in it but second half is focused on next chapters to come is really where everything starts getting interesting! The next update will be up some time soon! I have the next few chapters written. _

_A huge thank you to all who review! Please review it really helps with the writing!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 7: Here Comes the Fun**

It wasn't as dark as Serena had expected it to be. There were street lamps every few meters and she was sure her eyes had adjusted to the dark now. She looked behind her, Blair and Dan were walking together she kept hearing them laugh. She then looked in front of her- Chuck wasn't far from her and ahead of him were Nate and Vanessa. When she looked at the back of Nate, she felt her stomach twist. She was slightly irritated with him. However she also had this un-suppressible urge to talk to him, she needed to find out a few things. She sped up at bit and reached Chuck's side.

'Do me a favour?' she said to him. Chuck started at the sound of her voice- he had not heard her approaching at all. He turned towards her.

'You walk a bit too quietly for my liking,' Serena grinned.

'It's a result of all those times I had to sneak out.' Chuck gave a small laugh at that.

'What can I do for you?'

'Distract Vanessa so I can talk to Nate quickly?' she asked him quickly and quietly. Chuck gave a small chuckle- he found this very ironic- Nate needed him to distract Blair, Serena needed him to distract Vanessa… he couldn't help but think that Serena and Nate were being silly about this all.

'Can't you tell Nathaniel what you have to with Vanessa there?'

'I'd rather not. I need to ask Nate something that should really stay just between him and me.' Chuck sighed.

'Look, Serena, just sort out your love square thing here, and either tell Dan and Vanessa the truth about you two- or break up with Dan and Vanessa and take a real chance with Nate.' He paused but not long enough for Serena to reply- who was stunned at the mini-speech Chuck had just given her. 'Vanessa!' Chuck yelled out. He could make out Vanessa stopping and turning around. 'Blair's calling you.' He added.

'Chuck.' Serena whispered in an attempt to scold him for dragging Blair into it.

'What? If I'm going to distract her, I'm going to have a little fun while doing it.' He replied loud enough so only Serena could here. Chuck also thought it was probably a good idea to keep Blair distracted while Serena and Nate were having their interesting conversation. Vanessa had walked up to him.

'Blair was calling me?' Vanessa questioned unconvinced.

'Yes. Let's wait for her to catch up with us. Serena, you go keep Archibald company.' Serena shook her head at him while smiling to herself. She then walked ahead and caught up to Nate.

* * *

Blair noticed two still figures ahead of them and as they neared the figures she realized it was Chuck and Vanessa. She sighed.

'Dan, can we avoid them please?' she asked desperately. He laughed.

'How? Were on a road, Blair! Walking to the next town. There's no where to go.'

'I can walk on the other side of the road.' She offered as a possibility. Dan laughed again he lowered his voice- as they had almost reached Vanessa and Chuck.

'What happened to playing nice? Besides, Vanessa probably wants to talk to me. And well, Chuck just wants to sleep with you. You can handle that.' Blair was about to reply but there was no time, they had reached them. So instead she smacked him on his arm.

'Blair you called me?' Vanessa said when they reached them.

'What?' was Blair's eloquent reply.

'Chuck said you did.' Blair turned to Chuck and glared at him.

'You shouldn't trust what he says- he is Chuck Bass after all.' Chuck laughed.

'I must have misheard.' He said to Vanessa- purposely not responding to Blair.

'We should probably keep walking,' Dan supplied when a silence fell between them. 'And now that you're here, Vanessa, you can tell us about this band.' Blair sighed and began to gaze at the stars.

* * *

Serena reached Nate and almost turned right around- suddenly thinking that this wasn't the right time to say what she had to say. It was to late however because just then Nate had decided to acknowledge her presence.

'Serena, are you trying to scare me? Because if you were you've missed your window of opportunity to yell out 'boo' or whatever.' Serena gave a small laugh.

'No, I was hesitating. You looked like you were deep in thought,' Serena added as an explanation. A not all too honest explanation but one nonetheless, that didn't have her revealing her urge to turn around and run away from him and avoid all the awkward topics that they were about to get into it.

'You can see that well in the dark?' Nate questioned suspiciously. Serena laughed and moved so that she was next to Nate. A silence fell between them.

'So, what a night…' Serena began but quickly thought better of it. She sighed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Nate watched her do this and realized that she had something to say. He knew that whenever she sighed and then began to fiddle with her hair, whether twirling it around her finger or tucking it behind her ear, it meant one thing: she had something on her mind.

'Serena, what is it?' He finally asked. He turned his head to look at Serena.

'What do you mean?'

'You look like you have something to say,' he replied and put his hand in his pockets.

'You can see that well in the dark?' Serena replied mimicking his words from earlier.

'Come on, Serena, what is it?' She sighed again.

'Ok, well you snapped at me earlier because I didn't want you going for help alone,' she paused to check that he was actually listening to her. 'You never snap at me.' She said the last past softer than the rest. Nate didn't reply immediately, he moved closer to Serena and glanced at her.

'I'm sorry, Serena,' he held her gaze for a few seconds before looking away, 'I was stressed and I took it out on you.' He stated and picked up his pace.

'You sure that's all it was?' she asked and looked at him from the corner of her eye.

'Yes.' He said and then scratched his arm and rubbed his neck. Simultaneously Serena felt happy and irritated by Nate's arm scratching and neck rubbing actions- she was happy that she knew what they meant and irritated at the fact that they meant that he wasn't telling her the truth.

'Nate, come on, I _know _there is something else that is bothering you,' she said firmly and looked at him expectantly.

'No, there isn't.' Nate shot back just as firmly. Serena took a deep breath and let it out slowly- calming herself down.

'I know you,' she said once again and took hold of his arm, halting his walking. 'I know you,' she repeated softly and held his gaze, 'so when you're ready to tell me the truth, come find me.' Serena let go of his arm and turned around, but before she could walk away Nate grabbed her hand.

'Serena.' He whispered her name. She looked at him over her shoulder and waited a few seconds for him to continue but he didn't continue. She pulled her hand away.

'When you're ready. Come find me.' With that she walked away and headed down to meet up with Dan, Chuck, Blair and Vanessa.

* * *

Blair was looking up at the sky, she enjoyed looking at the stars and doing this helped her to tune out Vanessa and Chuck. It also helped her to ignore the fact that she was frustrated with herself, at the fact that she still found Chuck fascinating. Sure, he irritated her but he fascinated her just as much. It intrigued her the way he was around her and the way he dealt with her. However what intrigued her most was her reaction to him.

'If you keep looking up, you may walk into something,' Chuck said loud enough to actually gain Blair's attention. Blair looked down and in front of her- they we're pretty much on an empty road.

'Walk into what? The abundance of air we have around us?' she paused and looked at him briefly; he was staring at her intently. 'What do you want?' she asked suddenly. His intense gaze was making her nervous.

'To ask you a question.' He replied.

'Well, you can ask, but you aren't guaranteed an answer.' Chuck laughed and smirked at Blair.

'Everything is a challenge with you.' He noted and finally moved his gaze away from her. Blair's mind was on fire after his comment. A few moments later she was distracted from her thoughts when Chuck spoke up again.

'How did Blair Waldorf end up friends with a Dan Humprey? I mean he isn't a bad guy, but he isn't exactly of your stature.' Blair gaze turned to the sky once more. She took awhile to respond but eventually did. A smirk grew on her face.

'He's just so good in bed, that I decided to maintain the friendship.' Blair looked over at Chuck- when he seemed to comprehend what she had said he stopped dead in his tracks. His head then snapped towards the direction of Dan and then focused back on Blair. She could tell that he was genuinely surprised at what she had said.

'You slept with him?' he asked incredulously.

'Continuously.' She replied calmly. Chuck hadn't moved and the expression on his face was one of utter astonishment. Blair finally couldn't maintain her cool façade and began to laugh. Chuck looked at her once more.

'You were joking?' he asked and noticed that Blair didn't seem to be able to stop herself from laughing. She gave her response in a form of a nod- with this confirmation that she was joking Chuck sighed and seemed to relax. He was confused at his reaction; the thought of Blair and Dan together really bothered him. He began walking again and Blair followed him. He kept quiet and waited for her to stop laughing. She eventually did.

When she had stopped laughing, he raised the question as to how she and Dan became friends once more.

'I'm not going to answer that,' she said. Chuck was once again watching her. She tried to walk a bit ahead of him but he kept in pace with her.

'Why not?' Blair smiled at him.

'Because everything has to be a challenge with me, remember?' Blair glanced at Chuck quickly and held his gaze for a few seconds before glancing up at the sky once more. He knew that Blair was undermining the question on purpose. She obviously did not want to reveal the answer or talk about it. Chuck looked at her, she really seemed to be deep in thought. He turned his gaze away from her and noticed Serena walking towards them. He glanced at Blair once more and this time she returned his gaze. He gave her a short nod and picked his pace up to meet up with Serena.

Blair was relieved that he had gone to meet up with Serena and that he didn't push for an answer. It was the last thing she expected from him- she really thought he would have pushed the subject. That he would try to get her to give an answer. She sighed, slightly frustrated, that he kept doing things that maintained her interest in him. Chuck was now walking with Serena. Blair turned to look at Dan. Vanessa gave his arm a squeeze and began walking ahead of him- evidently she was going to go to Nate. Blair seized this opportunity and went over to Dan. When she reached him she looped her arm with his. Dan looked over at her with a curious expression.

'You ok?' he asked. She nodded.

'Humphrey, you are one pain I am glad I became friends with.' Blair said and Dan laughed. The two continued to talk and laugh.

* * *

Vanessa took a hold of Nate's hand. He was being oddly quiet. She was about to ask him what was wrong when he stopped walking and sighed with relief. They had reached a small town. Nate waited for everyone to catch up.

'Ok, so plan of action?' he asked when they were all together. Blair took out her cell phone- they finally had reception.

'This isn't the town we're supposed to be in right?' Blair asked and looked up from her phone.

'Very observant there, Blair.' Vanessa replied. Blair shot Vanessa a look.

'Right, this is the part where someone with something _helpful_,' she emphasized the word helpful while giving Vanessa another irritated look, 'to say should probably say it.'

Serena gave a small laugh and all attention turned to her.

'No, this isn't the town,' Serena quickly rushed out. 'It's the next one over.'

'Thank you, Serena.' Blair added in a tone that showed she was still irritated.

'Anytime, B.' Blair gave her a small smile- she suspected that Serena wasn't that fond of Vanessa either.

'Well, let's try and find an open coffee shop and arrange a taxi to take us to the next town and at the hotel we can arrange for someone to go and fix the car tomorrow and bring it to the hotel.' Blair suggested this and they all agreed to that plan. It was about 11 o'clock at night, so they figured something was bound to still be open. They walked for about another twenty minutes when they found a small coffee shop, which was open and rather packed. They sat at a table and ordered some coffee. Blair then organized a taxi to fetch them from that coffee shop. Half an hour later they were in the taxi and driving to the next town over. They eventually found the hotel they were staying at for the weekend. There were trees all around the hotel and the outside of the building had a brick face with blue wooden shutters. The inside was just as stunning as the outside. Everything in it was modern and the lobby was beautifully lit up. They made their way over to the receptionist. Since Dan had made the booking he dealt with the receptionist. Blair and Serena had stayed with him. Meanwhile Chuck, Nate and Vanessa were busy talking to another receptionist and were arranging someone to fix Nate's car tomorrow and bring it back to the hotel.

'Here it is. Humphrey for six. I'll be with you in a moment.' The blonde haired and green eyed receptionists said before walking away. A few minutes later she returned with the room keys. She handed them over to Dan.

'Ok, each room sleeps two…' the receptionist carried on supplying them with information but Blair was just focused on the fact that each room only slept two. The receptionist finished talking and walked away. Blair immediately turned to Dan.

'You booked three rooms which only sleep two?' she asked incredulously. Dan scrunched his eyebrows.

'Yeah, that's all they had available for this weekend. Why is that a problem?'

'Well, Dan, how exactly did you think the sleeping arrangements were going to work?' Dan kept quiet he was still confused. Serena shook her head and gave him a small smile.

'She means that she's stuck with Chuck because obviously I'll be with you, and Nate will want to be with Vanessa, which leaves Blair-'

'With Chuck.' Blair concluded.

'Oh shit,' Dan replied. 'I didn't think about it like that. I'm sure Chuck will be a perfect-'

'Humphrey, don't go there.'

'Ok,' he said and then smiled at her, 'but just remember that I'm the pain you love.' Blair laughed despite being irritated at him. She called the receptionist back, she explained that they needed another room. The receptionist checked some things on the computer a few seconds later she looked back at Blair.

'I'm sorry, Miss there are no other rooms available.'

'There has to be something. Money is not a problem.' The lady shook her head.

'Unbelievable.' Blair said before turning away. She looked at Dan.

'The pain you love and are glad you became friends with.' He reiterated and pointed to himself. Serena laughed and Blair sighed shaking her head. They made their way over to the others.

'Ok so the rooms each sleep two,' Dan said and then hesitated, 'Serena and I will take one, Nate and Vanessa I assume you two will want one and then Blair and Chuck will have the other.' Chuck raised his eyebrows and smirked. Blair noticed the look.

'Don't look so happy, Bass,' she said to him. 'It's just a room.'

'It's just a room with just you and me.' Chuck replied. Blair sighed in exasperation not bothering to reply. They divided the keys and they all headed off to their respective rooms.

Blair let Chuck swipe the card to let them into the room. She liked the room it was modern and comfortable. She especially liked how neat and well kept the bathroom was. The room had a small living area with one door which linked to the bedroom. Blair opened it and gazed at the room.

'Of course.' She said. There was only one double bed in the room. Blair could feel Chuck standing behind her, she moved further into the room. She was tired now and just wanted to sleep. Because of this she didn't bother arguing about who was sleeping where. She turned to Chuck.

'Ok. You stick to your side of the bed and I'll stick to mine. You don't try anything and we won't have a problem. Ok?' Chuck nodded, he was tired, and knew better than to argue with her this time. They both took off their shoes and Chuck took off his jacket. They didn't have their luggage with them (as they had left that in Nate's car) so they couldn't get change or do much else. After that Chuck instinctively went to the left side of the bed and Blair to the right. They both lay down on their backs. Neither of them said anything. They only light in the room was coming form Blair's side lamp. After awhile Chuck turned his head and looked at Blair he noticed that she had fallen asleep. He couldn't help but stare at her for awhile, he found her intoxicating. He gently moved a piece of hair out of her face and then carefully leaned over her and switched off her lamp. He lied back down and few minutes later he fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: Hope you like it! Review please.


	8. Give Me a Reason

**_A/N: Ok! Here is the next chapter. It has more Chuck and Blair in it than Serena/Dan/Nate. Next chapter will have more of a balance. Also unfortuanately I won't be able to update again until like Thursday. I'm going away and won't have access to the internet. _**

**_I hope you like this chapter. Please keep reviewing and thank you to all who reviewed the last! Review!_**

**Chapter 8: Give me a Reason**

Blair's eyes fluttered open; it took her a few seconds to take in her surroundings. When she did, she was finally aware of Chuck next to her and of her hand lightly resting in the palm of his hand. She wanted to move her hand but Chucks fingers were curled around her fingers, she wondered if she moved her hand if he'd wake up. She sighed, she desperately wanted to get out of bed and take a shower. What would it matter if she did wake him up? Blair inwardly smacked herself, it was just a hand it wouldn't wake him up. She gently manoeuvred it out of his grasp, he hadn't stirred. She gently sat up and got out of bed. She then tip toed to the door and quietly opened it. She checked the time it was 11 o'clock- she couldn't quite believe that they had slept for so long. Blair eventually made her way over to the shower.

Chuck had woken up after Blair had left the room; he had heard the door closing. He didn't move from the bed. He wanted some time to just focus himself. He had lied awake in bed for about twenty minutes when he heard a knock at the door. He got out of bed and made his way to the door. He was still slightly sleepy. He opened it and there in front of him stood Nate with his and Blair's luggage.

'They brought the car up here. I thought you may want these,' Nate said and held up the bags, he walked into the room and put them down. Nate started looking around the room.

'Thanks Nathaniel,' Chuck replied and watched Nate look around the room, 'I'm sure one of the hotel staff could have brought the bags up.' Chuck casually remarked. Nate looked at him.

'Yeah, but I wanted to make sure you and Blair were still alive, and to tell you that we are all meeting in the lobby in about an hours time.' Nate replied. Chuck shook his head and smirked at Nate. 'Where is Blair?' he asked a few moments later.

'I think in the shower.' Chuck commented and moved to the couch. Nate followed him.

The two continued to talk for about another ten minutes- during which Chuck glanced towards the direction of the bathroom numerous times. This did not go un-noticed by Nate.

'She's really done a number on you,' he said while standing at the door about to leave. 'Blair,' he added when Chuck looked confused. 'Good luck.' Was his parting comment and he left before Chuck tried to convince him and himself that he wasn't captivated by Blair.

Chuck closed the door and took their bags to the room. He put Blair's bag towards her side of the bed and his on the other. He then turned to leave the room; he was at the door reaching for the door handle when it suddenly swung open. He immediately glanced up, there was Blair looking stunned, with wet hair and a towel wrapped around her. Chuck couldn't take his eyes off of her- he had this undeniable urge to touch her. It took everything in him to take a step back from her instead of towards her. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He then pointed towards her bags.

'There's your luggage.' Blair stepped into the room and inadvertently stepped closer to Chuck. She watched him watch her with such intensity that it made her want to go and kiss him. It would just take one more step to close all distance between the two of them- Blair didn't move she was trying hard to fight that little voice that kept saying: "take the step."

'Thanks.' She eventually said and moved out of his way. He nodded and left the room, it was his turn for a shower.

* * *

Serena tugged at Dan's shirt- she did want it off but this was a tugging to let him know that they should stop what they were doing. She lightly pushed him away.

'We just put our clothes back on,' Serena said still slightly flushed. 'We need to go meet the others.'

'Do we really have to?' Dan asked with a smirk on his face and went to kiss Serena again. She sighed against him. This was one battle she was quickly loosing. She indulged in the kiss a few moments longer before pulling away again.

'Control yourself, Humphrey. We have a whole weekend in this room together.' She smiled at him and moved out of his grasp. He sighed.

'Let's go meet our friends then.' He said and grabbed hold of Serena's hand. She smiled at him once more and gave his hand a small squeeze. She really did enjoy spending time with Dan. They made there way downstairs and found everyone already there.

They greeted everyone and apologised for being slightly late. Serena noticed both Nate and Chuck giving her a curious look. She didn't look back at them, she didn't want to give them the opportunity to guess what she had been up to- and they knew each other well enough that they could guess it.

'So we thought we'd just take a walk around the town and see what it has to offer,' Vanessa said in an irritated tone that Dan knew all to well. He glanced at Vanessa, she was watching Nate. He then noticed Nate watching Serena and Serena watching the floor. No one said anything for a bit.

'Well, look at that, so much tension between the four of them and they don't even realise it.' Blair had whispered to Chuck before she realised what she was doing.

'Not tension, confusion.' Chuck replied back to her and then realised this was exactly what Nate had wanted Blair distracted from. They type of scenario's that could reveal more to her than words could.

'Ok, let's get going.' Chuck suddenly said very loudly. He then walked over to Nate and Serena and pulled them along with him. Dan, Blair and Vanessa walked a bit behind them.

'What is going on with you two?' Chuck asked them in a quiet but harsh voice.

'Nothing.' Serena and Nate replied at the same time and then glanced at one another.

'Right, because it's always that simple with you two,' Chuck replied sarcastically. 'Look, if you don't want the three of them,' Chuck paused and gave Nate a pointed look, 'to find out about the little escapade you once had, then you two should probably stop with the longing looks.' He patted them both on the back and then walked a bit ahead of them.

* * *

'You ok?' Dan asked Vanessa. She looked at him seriously.

'I'm perfect.'

'Hardly.' Blair mumbled out. Dan caught what she said and gave her a scolding look. She sighed and kept quiet. He obviously wanted to have a serious conversation with Vanessa.

'You sounded irritated earlier, Vanessa-'

'I was but don't worry, Dan I'm all good now. There isn't anything-'

'What happened?' Dan pushed.

'I don't really want to talk about it,' Vanessa said in a stern voice.

'Well, I'm here if you need a friend,' Dan said and held Vanessa's gaze. Blair noticed the gaze- holding-I'm-here-for-you-look and interrupted them.

'Oh look,' she pointed at some random store. 'Let's go into there. Its less sickening than watching you two…' she stumbled for the right words and eventually settled on. "…Eye flirt." She had caught them both off guard- and they both looked shocked and irritated at her. She sighed. This weekend was going to be very interesting. Blair knew when troubles we're unfolding and they currently were. What exactly they were she couldn't tell. Vanessa didn't say anything and walked ahead of them and caught up with Nate she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and he took hold of her hand. A minute later Serena had reached Dan's side and they two became more affectionate. Blair walked ahead and caught up with Chuck. Right then, she was shocked to realise, that he was the only person she felt like being around.

* * *

They had done various things that Thursday. Chuck and Blair had reasonably gotten along but eventually everything went back to normal and Blair had spent more time with Dan and Serena than Chuck. They were walking to a restaurant when Chuck came up to Blair- she didn't seem to be paying attention to her surroundings.

'You look bored,' he said. Blair glanced at him and continued to walk. Suddenly she felt him catch a hold of her hand and tug her towards him, preventing her from walking across the street. Blair looked down at his hand and then up at him. Her arm was tingling from his touch. Her body always had some sort of reaction to his touch. 'There was a car.' He said and reluctantly let go of her hand.

'Thanks.' She said.

'Is it boredom that had you so distracted that you almost got yourself run over, or something else?'

'I'm not bored,' was Blair's reply.

'Yes you are, Blair,' he looked at her. 'I don't think you ever really enjoy yourself.' Blair scoffed at him.

'I don't want your opinion Chuck, on anything!'

'You should try to have more fun,' he continued ignoring her previous comment.

'Bass, I know how to have fun,' Blair said. She didn't know why she felt like she had to justify herself to him. She suddenly turned to him and grabbed his arm and stopped him from walking. She turned and faced him. 'I know how to have fun. I'm not bored. And you need to leave me alone.' She poked his chest when she told him he needed to leave her alone.

'You have superficial fun,' he said and flattened her hand on his chest to stop her from poking him again. 'Like today you had fun but it wasn't really all that fun for you.'

'Your insight is pathetic.' Blair was extremely aware of her hand on his chest and his hand keeping it there.

'You haven't told me I'm wrong, Blair.' Chuck said and found Blair moving her hand out from his and off his chest but taking a step closer to him. He was uncomfortable and comfortable, at the same time, with this little space between them. His mind kept going back to her in a towel and how much he had wanted her.

'Chuck, are you trying to imply that you could show me a good time?' she asked seriously. He laughed.

'No, although I could, I'm trying to say that I think you should have more fun with or without me.' He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear- another action which caught Blair off guard; his hand then ran down her neck. She took a deep breath. 'Preferably, with me.' He said. Blair took another deep breath and took a step back from him. Her body was on fire.

'There's no reason to preferably do anything with you! And until there is, I'll just keep having my own fun. And you can keep doing your own thing. Away. From. Me.' she turned around and began walking again.

'See you in the room later!' Chuck yelled after her. He knew that would get under her skin. She just kept walking.

* * *

Serena watched Nate and then watched Dan. They were so different in a lot of ways. It was something that made everything that was going through her head harder to deal with. She had no idea what was up with Nate and that really bothered her. And Dan well she really loved being with him and she was starting to think that her feelings we're a lot more serious for him than she had realised. But then again she was starting to think that she was in denial about her feelings with Nate. She sighed –frustrated- she just wanted to have a good weekend. She put these thoughts out of her and promised herself that she wouldn't bother with these thoughts until the weekend was over. She was with Dan and was determined to have a good time.

* * *

They had dinner and walked around a bit more and then went back to the hotel. Blair hadn't really spoken to Chuck since their earlier conversation. She got ready for bed and made her way to the bedroom. He was already in the bed. He looked up when she entered the room. He sighed, of course she'd wear something to bed that made it hard for him to not touch her. Blair silently got into the bed. She looked at Chuck who was looking at her.

'What?' she asked him curiously. He sighed frustrated.

'Nothing.' He replied and casually moved a bit away from her. They turned off their side lamps without another word. Chuck was grateful for the darkness but was struggling to fall asleep. His mind was racing with thoughts of Blair- he wanted to kiss her, protect her, have fun with her and mostly he wanted to figure her out. A considerable amount passed when he suddenly felt Blair's hand take hold of his arm and her head resting near his shoulder. He sighed, relieved and suddenly comforted by the closeness of them- a few minutes later he finally managed to fall asleep.

* * *

The next day was a bit of blur for them all. They had woken up, eaten, done a few random things and were now getting reading for the concert. The boys were done in half the time and were waiting for the girls in the lobby. Half an hour later the girls joined the boys in the lobby. Serena came down in jeans and a white top and a black jacket. It was a casual outfit but it looked good on her. Nate looked at her and then looked down the white top she had on was one of his favourites. Vanessa was in shorts and a red top. Nate looked at her; he liked that outfit on Vanessa.

Blair came down in white stockings a black skirt and a jacket- which Chuck wished she hadn't had on so he could see the top she was wearing. They made their way to where the concert was at. They had gone early so that they didn't have to wait in to a long a line to get in. The line wasn't bad. They were in it for about fifteen minutes when they approached the front. When they were close enough Chuck could see that they were checking everyone for alcohol.

'Perfect.' He mumbled. Blair was standing next to him (the others we're in front of them) and heard him. She looked at him.

'What's wrong?' she asked. He took out a hip flask from his one pocket. Blair laughed.

'How did you think you we're going to get in with that.' From the sound of her voice he could tell that she wasn't expecting an answer from him. She then held out her hand for the flask. He looked at her. 'Give it.' She said. He handed it over- curious to see what she was going to do. Chuck was surprised when she lifted her skirt a bit- and revealed that her stockings stopped at her thighs. She slipped the flask into the top of her one stocking and pulled her skirt back down. You would have no idea she had a flask attached to her one thigh. Chuck took a deep breath her stocking were pretty and useful and he wanted to desperately kiss her and feel those stockings. He shook his head.

'You are going to kill me.' He mumbled soft enough so that she couldn't actually hear. 'Thanks.' He then added loud enough for her to hear. They made their way to the front and got in with no problem and with no alcohol being discovered.

* * *

An hour and half later the band had started playing. Blair stood and listened to the band it really was not her type of music. Chuck and Nate had disappeared about ten minutes after they had walked in. Blair hadn't had a chance to give Chuck his flask back. She sighed and decided she was going to walk around. She let Dan know and then left. The band was good but still wasn't her type of music. She eventually found a nice area of grass and sat down. She took out Chuck's flask and decided to have a sip from it. She grimaced when she tasted the alcohol it was strong. She closed it and listened to the music and watched the people.

Chuck was looking for Blair. She wasn't with the rest of them and hadn't been for awhile. Since the band playing wasn't his favourite he offered to go find her when Dan began to worry. He left Nate, Serena, Vanessa and Dan to enjoy the band. He walked around for a bit and eventually found her sitting on some grass and twirling his flask. He approached her and when Blair noticed someone was in front of her she looked up.

'I had one sip of this stuff and it is vile.' She told him and threw the flask to him. He caught it and put it in his pocket.

'It's an acquired taste.' He commented.

'I'm sure.' Blair replied and shook her head. Chuck glanced down at her.

'Not enjoying the band?' He asked her. She looked up at him and shook her head. There was no point in lying.

'You?' She asked him. It was his turn to shake his head and a smile formed on his face.

'Leave with me then?' he told her and continued before she could interrupt him. 'You aren't enjoying this and nor am I. No point in wasting a beautiful night on something not so enjoyable. Show me that Blair Waldorf can have fun.' He held out his hand for her. Blair looked at the hand and then up at him. 'Leave with me?' He asked once more and waited to see if she would take his hand.

* * *

**A/N: Review please! Hope you liked it!**


	9. Surprise Me then Strip then Jump

**A/N: Ok here is the next chapter. This chapter is about twice as long as all the others. Also please note that the italics part in this chapter is a flashback.**

**I just wanted to say a Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter. It really made my day! **

**Please keep reviewing! **

**Chapter 9: Surprise Me then Strip then Jump**

Dan felt his phone vibrate, he took it out of his pocket and read the text message he had received. He then re-read the message and once that what was done he proceeded to stare at his phone for a bit. Serena noticed his bewildered expression. She put a hand on his arm and caught his attention.

'Anything wrong?' He shook his head in response to her.

'I just got this message from Blair letting me know that her and Chuck,' he paused and turned to Serena and raised his eyebrows, 'have decided to leave the concert and they'll meet up with us later.' The music was quite loud so he showed Serena the message to make sure she had got what he had said. She smiled at Dan, not having expected Blair and Chuck to go off together.

'At least, they're getting along now,' she said and moved closer to Dan. He began to nod his head as if he were in slow motion.

'That really is something.' He eventually said. Dan couldn't help but be slightly worried at the fact that Blair had left with Chuck. He knew she was weary of Chuck but he hadn't thought much of it until now- mostly because whenever Chuck was around Blair they were all there with them. He decided not to worry too much, Blair could handle herself and he knew that she knew she could always call him if she needed help. He turned back to Serena and was surprised when she smiled at him and pulled him into a kiss. He definitely didn't mind though.

* * *

Nate directed his eyes away form Serena and Dan and directed them to Vanessa- who also seemed to be watching Serena and Dan. The band started playing a new song and it was enough to catch Vanessa's attention. She immediately became engrossed in the music. Nate watched her and couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She just looked so pleasurably content at that moment that it drew him to her. He moved behind her, placed a small kiss on her neck and then wrapped his arms around her waist. They began to sway to the music together.

* * *

Chuck still held Blair's hand while they were navigating their way through the crowd. They were struggling to find their way out. Chuck was leading the way and after a few more minutes he came to an exit- Blair noticed that it was unsurprisingly not packed with people, yet Chuck still hadn't let go of her hand. They left the concert and immediately crossed the road. They had walked a bit further down the road, when Blair stopped walking- which inadvertently caused Chuck to stop walking. He turned to face her and she gently moved her hand out of his.

'I just want to let Dan know we left,' she said and took her phone out. She quickly sent him a text message and then looked back up at Chuck. 'What is the plan now, anyway?' He smirked at her and took out his hip flask and took a sip from it and then offered it to her. She shook her head, still waiting for him to reply. He put his flask away and looked at her.

'We're going to play a version of truth or dare around the town,' he said in a very matter-of-fact voice.

'Are you joking?' Blair shot back incredulously.

'Are you scared, Waldorf?'

'Are you a kid, Chuck?' he laughed and took a hold of her hand again. He started to walk and pulled Blair along with him.

'It's the best way to get to know you and you me. It's also the best way to see how fun someone really is. In this version you don't get to pick truth or dare you just do or answer whatever the other person has set out for you. If you don't go through with the task there is a penalty.'

'Which is?'

'Whatever the other person pleases.' Blair didn't say a word when he finished, this was most certainly going to be an interesting night. One thing was a given, she would do whatever Chuck set out for her to do.

* * *

Dan kissed the side of Serena's forehead and then kissed her softly on the lips- after a few seconds he pulled away.

'I'll go get us some drinks.' He stated.

'Thanks.' She said. He then turned to ask Nate and Vanessa if they wanted anything to drink. This resulted in Vanessa deciding to come along with him to get the drinks. Nate and Serena stared after them once they had left and then looked at each other. There was a considerable amount of space between them but neither moved to close it. Serena held his gaze for a few seconds and then looked down. She turned back to face the band. A few seconds later she felt Nate besides her and could see him out of the corner of her eye.

'Enjoying the band?' he leaned closer to her and asked her. She nodded. He sighed.

'Serena, this is stupid,' he said and ran a hand through his hair.

'What is, Nate?' she asked him sharply.

'This silent fight we're having.' Serena turned to face her.

'You seem pretty comfortable with silence,' she said and then crossed her arms. She clearly looked irritated. He looked confused.

'And that means?'

'Well, Nate, you don't have a problem with keeping secrets from me.'

'I'm not keeping any secrets from you, Serena.' And he genuinely wasn't. He just wasn't choosing to tell her about something that was running around his mind, which he wasn't even sure he could confirm or believed himself.

'But you aren't telling me something,' she shot back. He looked at her, he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't let this go. He was stuck and wasn't sure how to proceed next.

'How serious are you and Dan?' he suddenly asked. This shocked her a bit.

'What?'

'How serious are you and Dan?' he repeated and held her gaze. She didn't say anything.

'That's why I can't tell you, what you think I'm keeping from you.' Serena was caught off guard by what he had just said and was about to ask him a question but he continued talking. 'I can't tell you because there isn't any point. Not until I think there is.'

'Nate, you aren't making any sense.' She stated and he really wasn't. She knew him well, yeah, but she didn't know him well enough to translate what he had just told her into something that made sense in "Nate Archibald language." He gave her a small smile. She turned towards him fully and took a hold of his one wrist.

'Nate.' She was pleading with him to tell her what was going on with him and he could tell that from the way she had said his name. He looked at her.

'Don't worry about it,' he said and took a step back and then pointed in the direction Dan and Vanessa went. 'I'm going to go find Vanessa.' He didn't say anything else; he simply turned around and walked away. Serena sighed extremely frustrated with him. This was the last time she was willing to deal with him this weekend, she wasn't going to waste anymore of her time on this and resolutely decided that she was just going to have a good time with Dan and that nothing else mattered but having a good time with him.

* * *

Blair couldn't stop laughing; she was starting to find it hard to breathe. Chuck came out moments later and shook his head at her.

'That Blair, was sneaky and-'

'Brilliant?' she managed to mumble out before laughing again.

'Devious.' was his reply. Chuck had just put Blair in a situation which required her to role play her way out of a rather tricky circumstance- which he had created. However she had turned it around so that Chuck was dragged in and was rather in a worst position than he had put her in- he eventually landed with a drink thrown in his face by some girl. They had walked around a lot of the town and had done a task in a lot of the places. They had only been doing dares neither of them had asked a question to be answered by the other- neither of them had backed out of any tasks (dares) either.

The tasks had started out easy. Like doing a shot. They had started to get considerably harder after Chuck had got Blair to do a body shot- she had to find some random bar and some random person to do a shot off of. From then they had both upped their game. It was night now and Blair had to admit that she was having a good time and had been since she had left with him. She hadn't had fun like this in awhile. He would test her in a way that intrigued them both. She would test him a way that clearly surprised him. They were evenly matched and could handle anything that was thrown their way. Although the dares were fun she was having a good time with just him as well. The whole night didn't just consist of tasks. She looked at Chuck, he did know how to get her to have a good time and she was surprised to learn that she it wasn't a horrid experience being around him.

Chuck was utterly stunned. Blair captivated him in a way no one else ever had. That thought it self amazed and shocked him, never mind the fact that she was able to play this game on his level. He had suggested this idea, thinking that Blair wouldn't go through with it or that she wouldn't last long. He even thought he may get bored. He was wrong on all of the above accounts and didn't mind being wrong at all.

* * *

Serena laughed and turned to Dan.

'There isn't much room to dance together,' she said loud enough so he could hear.

'Don't worry about that.' Dan held out his hand and Serena took it, he pulled her closer and began to dance with her. She really was having a good time with him. He just made her so happy and she realised that. The song changed and her Dan adjusted their dancing to it- forgetting about everyone around them.

* * *

It was once again Chuck's turn, it should have been Blair's but he argued that because she had put him in tricky situation back then that she had un-knowingly used her chance. She didn't argue with him because she still found what had happened funny. Chuck found a club and dragged her to it. She wasn't sure where this one was going. They made their way inside and noticed that the crowd wasn't too big. Blair watched Chuck watch the people. They were standing at a corner by the bar. He hadn't said anything yet. So she ordered herself a drink. She had the drink when he finally turned towards her. He moved closer to her because the music was loud in the club and she was struggling to hear him.

'You see those two guys on the other side of the room, the one is in a green shirt the other in a red shirt,' he began and waited to see if she saw who he was talking about. She eventually nodded that she knew who he was talking about. 'You're going to flirt with the one in green but I want you to kiss the one in red. You aren't allowed to flirt with him though.' Blair turned to look at him he was close enough for her to kiss him. He gave her a smirk seemingly thinking this would be reasonably hard for her. She took a sip of her drink. Leaned towards his ear and whispered.

'No problem.' She gave him her drink, which he took and then watched her make her way over to them. He saw her introduce herself. She glanced back at him once and then paid all her attention on the guy in the green shirt. She hardly spoke to the one in the red and the one she had to kiss.

Blair listened to the guy in the green (whose name was Josh) tell her about all the sports he played. The guy in red (whose name was Matt) barely spoke and looked as if he wanted to leave. This was going to be very easy for Blair. She laughed quickly at a joke he said and really flirted with him. Josh evidently thought that she was only interested in him and that's what made this task so easy- she would get rid of Josh and then turn her attention to Matt and close the deal. She listened to him for about ten more minutes and then gave him a dazzling smile.

'Josh, you think you could get me a drink?'

'Sure.' He replied and then left asking Matt to keep her company. She turned her attention to Matt and stepped a bit closer to him.

Chuck watched the guy in green leave and go to the bar and then turned back to see Blair talking to the guy in red. He moved so he could see her better. She was giving the guy one of her sexiest smiles and took another step closer. She put her hand on his shoulder. This was too easy. They would kiss in a matter of moments Chuck realised. He suddenly didn't want her to complete this task and before he realised what he was doing he was walking over to Blair. He reached her just as the guy was leaning in and so was she. Chuck grabbed her arm and Blair immediately turned when she felt a hand wrap around her upper arm. She was shocked when she saw Chuck was the one holding her arm.

'What are you doing?' she said. He turned to the guy.

'Excuse us,' he said and didn't let the guy respond as he began walking away and she moved along with him.

'Chuck, I was about to kiss him and I had a drink coming!'

'I know,' he said and stopped walking when they had crossed the room. 'I could see you were going to. That's all I needed to see.' Blair smirked at him.

'Jealous?' she asked and cocked her head at him.

'Are you looking for a compliment, Blair?'

'Are you trying to change the subject?'

'No, I just changed my mind and that's why I stopped you from kissing him.' He eventually said. Blair nodded not really believing him. She then grabbed his hand.

'How about we take a break and you dance with me, Chuck?'

'Gladly.' He said and led her to the dance floor. Chuck placed his hands on her waist and she wrapped hers around his neck. The song wasn't slow but that wasn't a problem, Blair danced with him in beat to the song. They had been dancing for a bit when she felt Chuck's one hand trail up her back and along her one arm. He grabbed her hand and took it so that he was able to spin her around. He spun her and she landed back in his arms with her back towards him now. They continued to dance. Blair was getting lost in Chuck and it wasn't helping that he had his one hand run down her neck and arm and then stop on her hip. He kept both his hands there and every once in awhile he would spin her around so that she would change her position. They continued to dance and Blair continued to be enthralled by the little touches Chuck was placing all over her body.

Chuck noticed people watching Blair dance and he was suddenly glad that he was the only person in the room that she was dancing with. He also couldn't help but run his hands over her body. He was careful enough not to do anything she would get cross at. But he couldn't completely, not touch her. It was impossible in that moment, the way she was dancing with him increased the constant underlying need he had to touch her. Now he finally could and he loved how she felt- everything about her was intoxicating.

* * *

Nate had only noticed Dan and Serena dancing now. He had been having such a good time with Vanessa that he hadn't looked their way. When he glanced their way he saw Dan spin Serena out and then in towards him. The smile on Serena's face suddenly took him back to a moment they had shared awhile ago.

'_Go away!' Serena yelled when the knocking on her door continued. Her door then swung open and Nate walked in. _

'_Go away, Nate,' she said and then turned in her bed so she was facing the other side and not him. He walked to the other side though and looked at her._

'_Serena, you have been in this bed for days. It's time for you to leave this room and move on.' He stated harshly. She had been in bed for days after she had had a terrible week. Chuck had tried earlier to get her to leave her room but she wouldn't. _

'_I like being in here. It's currently the only think I like.' She replied. Nate sat down on the bed. _

'_Come on, Serena. You are better than this,' he started playing with a piece of her hair. 'And you are mine for the day. No arguments and the first thing we are going to do, is to get you to feel a bit better.' _

'_And how are you going to do that?' He smiled at her and stood up from the bed. _

'_By getting you to dance to whatever happy song the radio has on,' he walked over to the stereo she had and turned it on. Serena laughed when she heard the song that was playing on the radio. It was a slow song. Nate looked at her. _

'_Or this,' he said and walked back to the bed and threw off her duvet. He then took her hand and made her get out of bed. He pulled her to him and began to slow dance with her. She rested her head on his shoulder._

The song was "All I need" by Matt Kearney and it was the same song that Serena and Nate had heard in the car when they had left for this trip. Nate remembered how the song had picked up pace towards the end.

_When the song picked up pace he spun her out and then in towards him when he looked down at her she was smiling. It was the first step in making her feel happier and Nate was happy that he was the one helping her feel better. The song changed and a bit more up beat song came on. They broke apart but still kept dancing. Serena danced and jumped and twirled around with Nate. Finally feeling a bit more like herself. She eventually stopped and so did he._

'_That did make me feel better.' She smiled at him once more._

'_Good, now get dressed we're going out drinking.' He left the room and let her get ready. _

Nate came back to the present and watched Serena. Something had become very apparent to him. He wanted to be the one there for her, all the time, in every way. He closed his eyes he had just confirmed that nagging thought in his head that he didn't quite believe himself- the thought that said he wanted to be with Serena. He felt Vanessa grab his hand and realised that he had just landed himself in a very difficult situation.

* * *

Blair and Chuck had moved on to a different club. It was Blair's turn and she knew exactly what she was going to have Chuck to do. They made their way inside. Before Blair told him her task they both went and had a drink. Once they we're done with their drinks they moved away from everyone at the bar and towards a semi-secluded area. Blair turned to face Chuck and smiled at him while tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Chuck was watching her curiously. She moved a bit closer to him to ensure he would hear her.

'I want to see how far the power of Chuck Bass extends,' she moved even closer to him. 'I want you to get this place to close within the next ten minutes. You aren't allowed to pretend to be some sort of authority figure. And…' she closed most of the space between them and then slipped her one hand into Chuck's pants pocket. Chuck raised his eyebrows at Blair. She removed her hand and with it came his wallet. She then found his hip flask and took that as well. 'And I'm keeping these while you do this task.' She eventually added and took a step back from him.

'You're keeping the flask because?' he understood why she kept the wallet, she didn't want him bribing anyone with money.

'In case you get arrested, I thought it be best you didn't have anything you weren't supposed to have with you.' Chuck laughed and shook his head.

'See you outside in about ten minutes.' Blair watched him walk away and quickly lost sight of him in the crowd. When she couldn't see him anymore she decided it would probably be best to wait for him outside. She had been standing outside for about five minutes when she saw the lights surrounding the club (letting people know that it was open) turn off. A minute later Chuck emerged. Blair clapped.

'How did you manage that?' Blair noticed people already starting to leave the club.

'Trade secrets are never to be shared.' He replied, she laughed and they began walking away. While walking she held out her one hand and handed Chuck back his wallet and hip flask. His fingers lightly grazed her hand and even that lightest touch caused Blair's body to have a reaction. She distracted herself by checking the time. She didn't believe it when she saw that it was already 3'o clock in the morning. They kept walking and had unknowingly landed back in the vicinity of their hotel. Blair just followed Chuck and eventually they had stopped at the hotel pool. The pool area was lightly lit and it seemed to make the water glisten.

'Up for a little night swimming, Waldorf?' she looked at him. She had known this was coming.

'Very original, Bass.' She replied sarcastically. Chuck then noticed her take her shoes off. Then her stockings. He was caught off guard when she removed her top and then her skirt. He was only able to take her in for a few seconds before she walked to the pool and jumped in with her underwear still on. For those few seconds, with the soft light bouncing off her, she had looked absolutely beautiful. Blair swam to the middle of the pool and faced Chuck.

'Your turn Bass, strip and jump.' Chuck did as he was told and in a few seconds he was in the pool. They didn't say anything for awhile. Blair eventually swam over to Chuck and stopped a bit in front of him.

'Why all the girls, Chuck? Have you never just wanted to date one girl?' she asked him suddenly. He looked at her. 'This isn't apart of the game. What I mean is, this isn't a 'truth' question, and you don't have to answer this if you don't want too.' Blair added. She really didn't want to start that half of the game. He stared at her for a few moments.

'I have and haven't wanted to date just one girl. Why start something you know is most likely going to end?' he paused and met Blair's eyes. 'There are girls that you just know; you'd be able to be with. You'll met them and just know. So I have fun with multiple girls because, well, its fun and it's a great way to pass time, while I'm waiting for that girl that I know I'd be able to be with.' Chuck finished and didn't tear his gaze away from Blair. Blair hadn't expected such an honest answer from him she thought he would make some joke about it. She looked at him a deep silence had formed between them.

'Dan and I became friends after he found me half passed out in some passageway. I was at this party and my drink had been spiked. And Dan happened to see some guys take me out of the party and he noticed that I wasn't ok. He found two of his other friends and they followed us out of the party. In the middle of this passageway there was Dan and his friends and these guys who had me. They dropped me when they saw Dan and his friends and ran off. Dan stayed with me that night. And after that we sort of became friends. He was always there for me and I made it point to always be there for him.' She finished. She didn't know why she had started telling him that, maybe to fill the silence that had fallen between them or because she felt like she could finally tell him such things. She didn't know. Chuck watched her and then Blair felt his hand rest softly on her hip. They were extremely close now and the atmosphere was intense and electric. Their lips were only a few centimetres apart.

'Now you know how.' She said and instead of leaning in and kissing him like she desperately wanted too. She went under the water. She then came up and splashed Chuck. He responded quickly and splashed her back. The two began to fool around in the pool. With Chuck dunking Blair at stages and her splashing him and both of them laughing. After some time Blair began to get cold and she noticed the sun beginning to rise. Chuck was in front of her and noticed her getting cold.

'Come on, let's go to bed.' He said and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. They got out the pool put their clothes back on and made their way to the room. They got ready for bed and closed the curtains in the room so that they could block out the sunlight that was coming into their room. Once in bed Blair turned to face Chuck.

'Did I pass?' she asked him.

'Pass what?' he replied with his eyes closed.

'The test to see if I could have fun.' She replied in a rather non-fussed voice. She saw him smile and open his eyes.

'With flying colours. I won't ever doubt that you can have fun again.' He then did something that caught Blair completely off guard. He pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest.

'You're still cold.' Was the last thing he mumbled out before they both fell a sleep.

* * *

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS! Ok firstly I gave Serena and Nate's flashback scene the song All I need By Matt Kearney. But I was debating between that song and the song Stateless by Bloodstream. However when I was writing this chapter the song Stateless by Bloodstream played during the Chuck and Blair dancing scene when they are at the club. If you want to, I'd suggest reading that Chuck and Blair scene while listening to that song. And then read the Serena and Nate scene while listening to All I need by Matt Kearney- with that scene I would start listening to the song from about half way through it maybe even a little bit after half way. Also I think most of you are reading this fic for Chuck and Blair. But for those who are reading for Serena/Dan/Nate, nothing is set yet. Trust me there are a lot of scenes coming up for each pairing. **

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please review! **


	10. So Close

_**A/N: I just want to say a Thank you to all who have reviewed! It really is great knowing that people are enjoying this story. Here is the next chapter! **_

**Chapter 10: So Close**

Blair's eyes flew open and her hand went out to her bedside table. She got a hold of her phone and opened it- silencing the alert tone that informed her that she had just got a message. She read the message quickly, it was from Dan asking her if she wanted to meet him for lunch. She wasn't completely awake until her head processed the word "lunch". She checked the time on her phone it was half past one. It made sense that she had slept so long she only got into to bed that morning. She messaged Dan back saying she'd meet him in about half an hour. She then placed her phone back on the side table. She closed her eyes and suddenly became acutely aware of the arm wrapped around her waist. She turned over and looked at Chuck. He was still sound a sleep. She lightly trailed her finger across his chin. He didn't stir. Blair sighed. She had a lot to think about. She gently got out of the bed. She had tip toed to the door when she heard Chuck mumble out something to her. She turned around. He gave her a small smile.

'Where are you going?' he groggily asked her again.

'To meet Dan for lunch,' she said and began to play with her hair.

'See you later?' he questioned a small smile formed on Blair's lips.

'See you later.' With that Blair turned and left the room and Chuck went back to sleep. Blair showered and got ready- she couldn't keep her head under control and was bombarded with thoughts as a result of the night she had spent with Chuck. He really had shown her a different side, not to mention she could test him a way no one else could and he tested her in a way no one else ever had. Most of all the thought that kept going through her head was screaming at her to just kiss him. Just to give in to her desire to kiss him-and after last night it was abundantly clear that the desire was there for both of them

Blair made her way downstairs and to where Dan was sitting having lunch. He was the only one at the table. He grinned when he saw her approaching them. Blair sat down and looked at him.

'Why are you grinning at me like that?'

'What happened to you last night?'

'Nothing,' she said and picked up the menu that was lying on the table.

'So you just felt like sleeping in today?'

'How did you know I slept late-' Blair didn't get to finish the question.

'Because you always message me when you're up in the morning to do something,' Dan said and cocked his head. 'So, I repeat what happened to you last night?' Blair sighed and leaned back in her chair.

'Chuck and I just had fun last night.'

'So, it is possible to have fun with him?' Blair narrowed her eyes at Dan.

'Where is this conversation leading to, Humphrey?' He gave her a small smile and leaned across the table to her.

'Just that maybe you've been wrong about him,' Dan said and watched Blair who sighed. She didn't need Dan pointing out something she was already considering by herself. She grinned at him.

'So how's Serena?' She quickly changed the subject and into something that she knew Dan couldn't resist talking about. They continued to have lunch and were later joined by Vanessa. Eventually the three of them decided to take a walk and check out a few things.

* * *

Nate looked at his phone- Chuck was calling him. He answered the call quickly.

'You called earlier, Nathaniel?' Chuck said once Nate had answered the call.

'Don't worry about that. What are your plans for the day?' He listened while Chuck told him his plans. He then informed Chuck that he had something to do and would try and catch up with him later. Nate ended the call once he had reached his destination. He knocked on the door and nervously waited.

'Nate,' Serena said once she had opened the door. She seemed genuinely surprised to see him. 'Um,' she mumbled out after a few awkward moments of silence.

'I need to tell you something,' he stated. Serena moved aside so he could enter into the room.

* * *

Dan, Vanessa and Blair were walking down the street that had the one club which Blair and Chuck had been at last night. A small smile spread across her face. This was the club Chuck had got closed down; he still hadn't told her how he had managed to do that. She was brought out of her head by the sound of Dan's voice.

'Blair, do you mind if I use your phone quickly?' He asked her and stopped walking. 'I left mine back at the hotel.' Blair nodded and took her phone out and handed it over to Dan. She watched him walk a bit away from her and Vanessa. Vanessa turned to Blair suddenly.

'Blair, can I ask you something?' she looked over at Vanessa. She seemed exceptionally serious at the moment.

'If you must,' Blair casually replied back.

'You had fun last night, right? I mean with Chuck?' Blair narrowed her eyes at Vanessa.

'What does that have to do with anything?' Vanessa genuinely seemed troubled.

'Well, I mean you left the concert last night with Chuck. You took a risk; you took a chance and did something out of your comfort zone. And it paid off. Right?'

'Well, I guess, I mean It wasn't the worst night ever,' Blair replied underplaying how well last night had actually gone.

'So, would you think or argue that sometimes it's best to just go after what you want, even though you may not know the outcome,' Vanessa paused, 'or even like the outcome?' Blair stared at Vanessa the penny had dropped.

'This is about Nate?' she asked and waited for her to confirm her assumption.

'Yeah.' Blair waited for Vanessa to elaborate further. 'I want Nate and I to become more serious but I don't know if he wants too.' Vanessa summarised her situation. Blair was surprised that Vanessa was telling her all this and was actually coming to her for advice.

'I don't know, Vanessa, I guess you can either wait and see what happens or go for it and see what happens. Either way something will happen and there's not much you can do about that.' Vanessa nodded and looked at Blair- an awkward silence had fallen between them. It had seemed to Blair that they had almost bonded. A thought suddenly hit her.

'Why didn't you ask Dan about this?' Vanessa looked at the ground and then up at Blair and once more at the ground.

'Oh,' Blair said understanding dawning from Vanessa's reaction to the question. 'You thought it'd be uncomfortable, if you asked him something like that.'

'There's history-' Vanessa had begun to answer but didn't finish what she had started to say as Dan had made his way back over to them.

'Ok,' he said and they continued walking around.

* * *

'Nate, are you going to make sense this time?' Serena asked him. She was still confused about their previous conversation. Nate looked at her.

'As best as I can.' He waited for Serena to say something. They were both sitting on the couch; she adjusted herself and looked at Nate.

'What are you waiting for? Pleasantries to be exchanged?' She said this rather harshly. She hadn't meant for it to come out that harsh but she was still irritated with Nate. He looked at her and a small smirk on his face. A few seconds later though he became serious once more.

'I'm going to get straight to the point then,' he said and took a moment to gather his thoughts. 'I want us to try.' He said and looked at Serena- who was watching him intently.

'Try what, Nate?'

'For us to be in a real relationship.' Serena could feel her throat and mouth go dry- she was stunned.

'Nate-' she managed to say softly.

'No wait, Serena, you mean more to me than just a friends with benefits relationship and I knew that. I've always known that. I was just too scared to realise that and fight for you,' he paused and stood up, 'so here I am, fighting for you.' Serena stared at him and could tell that he was being genuine.

'This is what you were keeping from me?' she asked him suddenly. He nodded.

'I wasn't sure if I should tell you. But I realised that if I didn't fight for you, I'd regret it.'

'But Vanessa-'

'Is amazing but we aren't serious and we're new.' He watched her. He could tell that she was shocked and confused.

'Tell me what you're thinking?' he asked her softly and waited for her response.

* * *

Blair looked to her right and saw the other club her and Chuck had been to. She remembered how it had felt to dance with him. She looked at Vanessa and her words from earlier came back to her. "_You can either wait and see what happens or go for it and see what happens. Either way something will happen and there's not much you can do about that_." Blair thought that she should probably start to consider her own advice. She could wait and see what happens with Chuck- if her desire to kiss him would subside or increase. Or she could act on it. Blair looked at the club, she wasn't a passive person, she took charge of situations. Either way something was going to happen and she decided she didn't want to wait and see the outcome. She stopped walking and looked at Dan and Vanessa.

'I'm going back to the hotel. See you guys later.' And with that she turned around and began to make her way back to the hotel and to their room and to Chuck. It took her about fifteen minutes to get back. She made her way to their room and nervously unlocked the door. She walked in and found Chuck sitting on the couch watching some show. She went and stood in front of him. Chuck's eyebrows scrunched together when he noticed the expression on Blair's face. He couldn't quite tell what was going through her head at the moment.

'Blair?'

'Chuck.'

* * *

'Tell me what you're thinking,' he repeated again. Hey eyes caught his.

'Weeks ago, I would have given anything for you to have said those things to me. But now I'm with Dan, Nate, and I don't want to give him up.'

She stood up and took a hold of his wrist. 'We don't work together-'

'We don't know that, we haven't tried,' Nate argued back.

'Well, then, I guess our timing has always just been wrong. When Chuck made up that thing about me having a date with Dan, to stir up a reaction in you and it didn't stir one… it kind of crushed me, without me really realising it. But then I went on that date with Dan. Which turned out really well and it just kept getting better. I'm sorry Nate, but I like him. It's easy and fun with him and it's always slightly messy with us.' Nate took a second to process what Serena had just told him.

'Chuck set you up with Dan?' Nate asked angrily. He took a step away from her.

'Yes.' She said. Nate stood there processing that for a few more minutes. 'I have to go.' Nate said and left before Serena could say something else that would tear him up inside.

* * *

Blair moved closer to Chuck without saying a word. He watched her curiously. She reached him and stood right in front of him. Chuck looked like he was about to say something when Blair leaned down and kissed him. The kiss was electric. Blair's body was charged. She enjoyed the way kissing Chuck made her feel. Chuck had been caught off guard but wasn't about to complain. This is what he had wanted for awhile. She was making him go crazy. The feel of her always enticed him. She was bending over him and Chuck moved his hands to her waist and pulled her down so that she was sitting in his lap. Blair didn't object to the motion and instead deepened the kiss and ran one hand through his hair. Chuck ran his one hand up her back.

'CHUCK!' They suddenly heard someone yelling and pulled apart and looked at the door. Nate was knocking at it.

'Come back later Nathaniel,' Chuck yelled back but Nate wouldn't accept that response. He kept on knocking. Blair sighed (unhappy with the sudden distraction) and got off Chuck and went to sit on the other side of the couch. Chuck opened the door and watched a furious Nate storm into the room.

Nate turned to face Chuck. Before he could even ask him what was wrong he began talking.

'You set Serena up with Dan?' Nate asked incredulously

'Nate-' Chuck tried to interrupt.

'Why the fuck would you do that?'

'Nathaniel, I-'

'Don't deny it! I want to know WHY?' Nate was furious and his voice was just getting louder at each passing moment. Chuck sighed. Blair just sat and watched the interaction.

'Calm down, Archibald. I did it because I wanted to show you and Serena both that you we're denying your true feelings for each other. And that your friend with benefits thing was stupid. It was also a way to get to Blair. If there was a connection to Dan I had a way to get Blair.' He looked at Nate who was still fuming and added. 'You seem to be forgetting, that you had also made a date with Vanessa at the same time that I set Serena and Dan up.' The last part seemed to sober Nate up a bit. He looked at Chuck.

'Next time don't add me into your games Chuck, and before you do stuff like that, you should consider who could get screwed over.' Nate didn't say anything more, he glanced at Blair and then at Chuck and then swiftly left the room. Chuck turned to look at Blair. She was evidently shocked and was processing what she had just found out. He took a step closer to her. She stood up and suddenly looked at him. Anger was written all over her face.

'You used Dan?' she shot out.

'No, it was simply just a way to get to you.' He took another step closer to her.

'But you put Dan in a position that could have turned out badly for him?'

'Blair-' Chuck took a hold of her arm. He now knew how much Dan meant to her so he knew that this was a very dangerous situation he was currently in. 'Please calm down Blair, I didn't mean to do that.'

'No, you did. You we're only thinking of yourself,' she began to shake her head, 'and I'm sorry but my line is drawn with Dan. I'm not taking a risk on someone who risks everyone else for himself.' Blair looked down. 'I shouldn't have left that concert with you.' She harshly finished and left the room quickly after that. Chuck watched her go, her last words still ringing in his head. His mind went back to the day of the concert.

'_Leave with me then?' he held his hand out to Blair. She considered it for a bit and then carefully took it. He helped her up. She looked at him seriously. _

'_Don't make me regret leaving with you Bass,' she said to him and a small smile began to form on her lips. _

'_I promise I won't.' He replied and squeezed her hand gently. _

Chuck came back to the present. He had after all made her regret it. He sighed angrily. What a mess. He finally had her and in an instance he no longer did.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sure a lot of you don't like me much for the way this chapter turned out. You know that saying: it has to get worst before it gets better. Just keep that in mind. Please review!**


	11. Time to Go

_**A/N: Ok, this chapter isn't too long. But it is very necessary for it to be a chapter by itself.**_

_**Thank you all for the amazing reviews. **_

_**Please keep reviewing!**_

**Chapter 11: Time to Go**

Blair had decided to go for it with Chuck and it had ended up back firing. She felt stupid and angry with herself and Chuck. She was currently looking for Dan so she could inform him of what she had discovered. He at least deserved to know what had happened. She eventually spotted him and Vanessa sitting outside by the pool. She made her way over to them and sat across from Dan. His head turned to her and once he saw her expression he immediately knew something was wrong.

'What happened?' he asked and cut Vanessa off in mid sentence. Blair caught his eye.

'You need to talk to Serena,' she said and the looked down once and gathered her thoughts and looked back at him. 'I just found out that Nate and Serena had a "friends with benefits" thing going on before she started dating you.' She stopped briefly and glanced in between Dan and Vanessa- they both looked shocked.

'How do you know this?' Vanessa asked suddenly. Blair sighed this was the part she was regretting telling them (especially Dan) the most.

'Because of Nate. He was furious with Chuck because he found out that Chuck had set Serena up with Dan.'

'What?' The word left Dan's mouth as soon as he had processed what Blair had said. Blair held his gaze.

'Nate wanted to know why Chuck would have set you two up. Look, Dan, I think you need to go and talk to Serena. From the way Nate looked, I think something just happened between him and Serena.' Blair suddenly realised that this would also affect Vanessa. She turned to her. 'You should talk to Nate about this as well.' Vanessa narrowed her eyes.

'I don't believe you Blair,' Vanessa said and looked at her and then Dan. 'She's obviously doing this for some alternative reason.'

'What are you talking about, Vanessa?' Blair shot out furiously. Vanessa head snapped in her direction.

'Why would you tell us this? Out of the goodness of your own heart? Please you probably want our relationships to be ruined or have some other plan.' Blair scoffed.

'I told Dan this because he's my friend and he deserved to know-'

'About something that is irrelevant?'

'How is what I just told you irrelevant, Vanessa?'

'Because I'm sure Nate and Serena would have told us this, themselves when they were ready. And I'm sure nothing of great importance happened between the two.'

'Oh. Really-' Blair had begun but Dan interrupted her.

'Just leave, Blair.' He said harshly to her.

'Dan-'

'No, I don't want to hear it. But I think this time around Vanessa may be right.' Blair's raised her eyebrows.

'I wouldn't do that, Dan. I wouldn't mess around with something like this. Not with you.'

'But with Vanessa you would and you'd probably use me in the process to mess with her. So just leave!' Blair's could not believe what had just happened. How had Dan ended up cross at her? How could he not believe her? She glared at Vanessa and then Dan.

'Talk to Serena and Nate,' she said and stood up and looked at them both. Neither of them said anything to her. She turned and walked away, she was more hurt by Dan than anything. It was quite late in the afternoon and Blair began to consider the fact that she still had to be there- with them all- for Sunday. She shook her head. That was not happening.

* * *

Dan immediately got up and made his way over to his and Serena's room. He found her sitting on the couch looking really unhappy.

'What's wrong?' he asked her and sat down next to her. She turned to him.

'Nate and I had a fight,' she said softly and then looked down.

'So Blair was right,' he said.

'What?'

'She said something had happened with you and Nate.'

'Dan-'

'What happened, Serena?' Dan asked quietly. She could tell that he was slightly hurt. He heard Serena take a deep breath.

'Long story short. Before I started dating you, me and Nate had a thing going on and today he told me that he wanted to be with me.' Her eyebrows furrowed at the end. She looked at Dan.

'Oh,' was he reply. He was processing so much at the moment he didn't know quite else what to say. He stood up and began to leave the room.

'Dan, where are you going?' Serena shot up and stood up and walked to him. 'I picked you.' She said softly. Dan felt himself smiling. He then felt anger build up at Blair she had left a part out. The most important part. He suddenly cleared his thoughts of everything other than Blair. He concentrated on Serena. He pulled her into a kiss and after a few seconds pulled away.

'Are you sure?' he asked her.

'Absolutely.' Was her reply and she kissed him again. Dan mentally decided that he ask her later if she was going to tell him about her and Nate before any of this happened.

* * *

Blair made her way back to the room. She stood in front of the door for a few minutes- calming herself down and gathering up the nerve to actually walk through it. She closed her eyes and sighed. She then opened the door and walked in. She went straight for the bedroom. Ignoring Chuck who was on the couch and who watched her walk into the bedroom. She grabbed her bag. She just had a few things she needed to throw back in it. She began to gather her things when the door opened and Chuck came in.

'Blair,' he said softly and walked over to her. 'What are you doing?' She paused and turned to look at him briefly. She pointed to the bag.

'Packing.' She stated flatly.

'Another room became available in the hotel?'

'No.' Chuck raised his eyebrows.

'Blair, where are you going then?' She turned to Chuck and folded her arms.

'Back. I'm going back to college. Now if the interrogation is over would you mind leaving?' Chuck stared at her.

'You can't be that cross at this?' He figured that she'd be angry but not _this _angry. She hadn't said anything. He watched her for a few more moments…

* * *

'Nate?' Vanessa called when she entered their room.

'In here.' Was the reply she received and she made her way to the bedroom. She was stunned when she saw Nate with his bag in his hand.

'What's going on?' she asked him. He looked down and then back at her.

'I'm sorry Vanessa, I need to leave.'

'Why?' she asked crossly. 'This is about Serena?' she added in after a few moments of silence. Nate just nodded. He walked over to her and held out his car keys for her.

'Here. Take them. So the rest of you can drive back,' he walked forward and kissed her on the forehead and then placed the keys in the palm of her hand. 'I'm really sorry. I will explain all of this later.' Nate didn't think Vanessa would want to hear any explanation after this. She looked at him and stepped aside. She really was angry. She tried once more to get him to talk to her and tell her what was wrong with out any success. Nate left and made his way downstairs.

* * *

He watched her for a few more moments and noticed something. She looked sad. Not just angry.

'What happened? He asked her and she looked at him confused.

'You were there, Chuck. What do you mean what happened?'

'No, Blair, something else is bothering you.' She zipped up her bag.

'The only thing that is bothering me currently is being in such close proximity with you.' She stated flatly and grabbed her bag. She didn't say anything more and didn't let Chuck say anything as she left the bedroom and their room swiftly. She made her way downstairs and exited the hotel quickly. She walked up the hotel entrances pathway and was just going to find a taxi. She stopped at the end of it and turned her head left and then right for a taxi. She didn't see a one. She did see Nate though, sitting on small wall with his bag next to his feet. She looked at him for a bit. She was going to ignore him but her feet seemed to have a life of her own and began walking her towards him. She reached him and sat down next to him.

'Going somewhere?' he asked her when she sat down.

'What gave it away?' Nate gave a small laugh at her reply.

'Want to share a taxi, Waldorf?' She looked at him curiously.

'You aren't taking your car?' He shook his head and pointed back towards the hotel.

'I left the keys with Vanessa,' he said softly.

'Oh,' she stared at him. 'If we share a taxi are you expecting any heart to heart moments?' He gave a small chuckle.

'None. Are you expecting an explanation?'

'Nope. Are you expecting any explanations, Archibald?' Nate looked at her and smiled.

'No, the only thing I am expecting is a short ride home and one extremely good party. You in?' She smiled.

'Definitely.' They both got off the wall at the same time and grabbed their bags. A second later Nate took Blair's bag from her. They found a taxi a within minutes and quickly left everyone else behind.

* * *

Serena knocked at Chuck's door. He opened it and stepped aside. She entered. Chuck didn't blame her for any of this.

'Have you seen, Nate?' she asked. He shook his head.' His not answering his phone.'

'Maybe you should give Archibald some space.' He suggested. She sighed and sat down.

'Where's Blair?' she asked a few moments later.

'Gone. She left earlier.' Serena's eyebrows scrunched.

'Why?'

'It doesn't matter,' Chuck said and sat down. A thought suddenly struck him which Serena voiced.

'Chuck, you think Nate and Blair may have left together? No one has seen Nate for awhile…' They stared at each other both knowing that their suspicion was mostly likely true but not knowing what would come of it.

* * *

**A/N: Keep in mind that this chapter is more of a filler and is really to set up future chapters. But please still review it! **


	12. Drinking Equals Bonding

_**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to be uploaded! I promise to have another up soon, latest will be Wednesday.**_

_** I am stunned at the reviews this story is getting. Thanks so much to all of you for the reviews! Please keep reviewing!**_

**Chapter 12: Drinking Equals Bonding**

Nate woke up and moaned. He closed his eyes and sat up- holding his head. He had one hell of a hangover. He gingerly opened his eyes again and got out of bed. He began to look for his phone-a task which proved to be unsuccessful. He eventually decided to shower and get dressed. He was busy putting on his shirt when he realized where his phone would be. He half smiled and then shook his head. He finished getting ready and left his dorm room. He made his way to an on campus coffee shop and ordered two coffees' to go. He took a sip of his and was extremely thankful that he had had the idea to stop here and that his body responded really well to coffee when hung over. He had almost finished his coffee when he reached his destination. He knocked on the door and waited. The door stayed shut. He laughed and knocked a bit more loudly this time for a longer period of time. He stopped and only waited a few seconds this time for the door to swing open. Blair stood in the doorway looking thoroughly irritated. She didn't say anything and neither did he which resulted in them both standing there awkwardly for a few moments. Suddenly Blair began to laugh and Nate shook his head. She moved aside and he entered her room. She closed the door and then went and sat down on her couch. Nate stood in the room.

'Does my hang over amuse you?' he asked and cocked his head to the side. Blair just nodded and continued laughing. 'You know I blame you for this,' he stated. Blair abruptly stopped laughing and looked at him.

'Archibald, it is not my fault you get drunk so quickly.'

'No, but you know what didn't help? All those shots you made me do. You're lethal.'

'Hey, my head hurts as well,' she said and looked seriously at him and then smiled. 'But I'm not lethal you're just weak.' She finished in a very matter -of -fact tone. Nate shook his head and held out the other coffee for her. She took it and thanked him. He sat down.

'What brings you this way?' Blair eventually asked Nate.

'I think my phone is still in your bag.' Blair nodded and stood up and quickly went to find her bag. She returned a few seconds later with his phone. She handed it to him.

'How many missed calls?' she asked him while handing him his phone.

'Thirteen. You?'

'Huh, you beat me, I got Twelve.'

'You know, Blair, I believe they could have been a bit more persistent,' Nate sarcastically said. Blair laughed. Dan, Serena, Chuck and Vanessa had bombarded them with calls last night. They eventually got tired of rejecting the calls and both decided to put their phones on silent and in Blair's bag. They swiftly forgot about their phones after that.

'You going to call them back?' Nate asked Blair curiously.

'No, I don't have anything to say to any of them and the thought of hearing what they have to say… well… I think I could find something better to do with my time.' She concluded and watched Nate stare at his phone. She was about to ask him if he planned on calling them back, when he stood up.

'I'm going to go. See you around?' he asked and walked to the door.

'Definitely.' Blair let Nate out and went back to the couch. Nothing had happened between them last night. But they had had a really good time. They had got back to campus, changed and went off in search of a party. It didn't take them long to find one. They had had such a good time they barely noticed that the sun was rising when they got back to their dorm rooms. Blair smiled to herself and then stood up and went to get ready for the day she had ahead of her.

* * *

'Here we are,' Vanessa said and pulled into their campus. They had left early that morning. She parked and looked at Dan, Serena and then Chuck. 'So who is giving Nate his car keys back?' Silence met her question. She continued to look at them questioningly.

'I nominate Chuck,' Serena eventually said. All heads turned to Chuck.

'I'm not Nathaniel's favourite person currently.'

'Well, that's just a shame,' Vanessa started and threw the keys to Chuck, 'but you're a guy. So go do the whole non-talking-working-things-out- thing that guys do.' She then opened the car door and got out before Chuck could respond. Dan and Serena followed suit. Chuck said and moments later got out of the car. They all got their bags and headed off to their respective dorm rooms.

* * *

Two days had passed since Blair had left with Nate and the others had arrived back at campus. Blair looked at her phone ringing and stopped at the small pond they had on campus. She was extremely tempted to "accidentally drop" it in the pond water. Chuck had been messaging her and calling her non -stop. She had even answered one call to tell him to stop calling her. He hadn't listened. She sighed frustrated. Chuck wouldn't leave her alone and Dan wasn't making any attempts at contacting since he'd been back on campus. She had seen him around a few times and discovered that she really did miss him. Her phone went off again. She breathed out in frustration.

'Hey,' Blair jumped when she heard a voice behind her. She turned around and looked at a smiling Nate. His eyebrows crunched together when he saw her expression. 'You look angry,' he stated.

'He won't stop calling me,' she said frustrated and shoved her phone back into her bag. 'Chuck.' She added a moment later.

'Oh,' Nate said and moved beside her. They both stared at the pond for a bit. 'At least his attempting to make things better with you, that is something in terms of Chuck,' Nate told her and folded his arms. She looked at him and noticed that he suddenly looked angry and sad at the same time.

'Serena hasn't tried to contact to you since the other night?' she asked quickly. Nate looked at her and didn't say anything for a bit. They both hadn't spoken about what had happened that day, that resulted in them both leaving the weekend away early. And he wasn't sure he wanted to start talking about it now. Blair sighed.

'Yeah, it hurts when the person you want to talk too doesn't seem to want to talk to you,' Nate turned to her and looked at her curiously, 'Dan and I have been friends for a long time and now he walks the other way when he sees me.' Nate nodded and then found himself telling Blair about what had happened between him and Serena that day.

* * *

Chuck walked out of the building and was making his way over to Nate's dorm. He still had to give him back his car keys. He was walking and wasn't really paying attention, when he looked ahead of him and noticed two figures by the small pond. A few seconds later he realized it was Blair and Nate. He watched them for a bit. They were talking intensely and after awhile he saw Blair laugh. He walked over to them.

'Archibald, Waldorf,' Chuck said and caught their attention. They both turned around to face him.

'Oh come on,' Blair said, 'Yeah I'm leaving.' She was about to walk away when Chuck grabbed her arm.

'No, you aren't.' Nate instantly stepped forward.

'Let her go, Chuck.' Nate added and gave Chuck a deadly look. Chuck sighed and reluctantly let her go. Blair looked at Nate gratefully.

'I just want to talk to her,' Chuck earnestly said, 'and you.' He added to Nate.

'My ears prefer not to be irritated,' Blair shot out, a second later her phone went off. 'I'm right here Chuck, are you seriously calling me!' she exclaimed. Chuck gave her a confused look. Blair took out her phone and when she saw who it was calling her. She went red. She quickly answered it. 'Chace.' She said and looked at Chuck. She then walked away to continue her conversation. Chuck turned his attention to Nate.

'Nathaniel, look, I'm sorry-' he began.

'Save it,' Nate interrupted. 'I'm not angry at you anymore but you need to leave Blair alone, ease up a bit.'

'I can't leave her alone-'

'Why?' Nate asked. Chuck looked at Nate. Why. Why couldn't he leave her alone? Why is it that all he ever thought about was her? These were questions that were constantly on his mind. The closest thing he had to an answer was what he told Nate next.

'Because I think I care about her.' Nate scoffed.

'You think? Chuck, you're making her life a living hell right now, for the possibility that you care about her. Look, Man, just don't play games with her.' Chuck was shocked that he was hearing this from Nate. He didn't get a chance to respond when Blair came back. She looked at them both.

'Should we go?' she asked Nate. He nodded.

'Wait,' Chuck took out the keys from his pocket and gave them to Nate. Nate nodded at him and then left with Blair. Chuck stood there and watched them go and realized something. They had bonded (how they had bonded was a question he'd deal with soon enough) and were quickly becoming friends. He didn't know what to make of this fact. Then there was Chace who seemed to be back in the picture. He really didn't like that fact at all. He sighed and began walking back to his dorm.

* * *

Serena gripped Dan's arm. She was blind folded. Dan had set up a surprise for her.

'Are we there yet?' she asked excitedly.

'Almost.' They walked for about two more minutes and then Dan stopped. He took the blind fold off. Serena gasped when she saw what was in front of her. Dan has set up a picnic. There was a blanket and a few candles, not to mention some of Serena's favourite foods. She looked at him and smiled.

'What was this for?' she asked and took a hold of his hand. He smiled and shrugged.

'Just wanted to do something special for you,' he said and leaned in to give her a small kiss. Serena felt her stomach full with butterflies. She hadn't been this happy in a really long time. She broke the kiss and looked at Dan.

'You really are something,' she said and then gave him a small kiss on the lips, 'Thank you.' Dan could feel the small on his face grow. He pulled her over to the blanket and they began to enjoy their night.

* * *

Blair woke up the next day and got ready quickly. She had early lectures that day but luckily they ended by noon. She looked at her phone- no messages from Chuck or Dan. She shrugged the lack of contact from Chuck relieved her, the lack of contact from Dan didn't faze her anymore.

A smile spread across Blair's lips, her last lecture had ended. She packed her stuff up and quickly rushed off. She had plans with Nate.

* * *

Nate leaned against the wall and looked at his watch. He then looked up and was startled to see Serena standing in front of him. He sighed and moved away from the wall.

'Serena?' he said.

'I called you that night you left! What you don't believe in calling back?' she angrily said and folded her arms.

'You'll have to forgive me if I didn't want to talk to the girl who broke my heart that day… oh wait… actually you don't because what I do no longer concerns you.' Nate was angry with her, he couldn't help it. It was going to take some time before he could move on from Serena.

'Look Nate-' Serena was interrupted when Vanessa walked up to them.

'So what you can talk to her but not me?' Vanessa spat out when she reached them. They both turned to face her.

'Really? Both of them?' Nate mumbled out- he was beginning to think the universe deliberately wanted him to have a hard time.

'Look, Vanessa, I'm sorry I've been meaning to call you…' he trailed off.

'Of course you have because that explains the numerous amounts of calls I've received from you,' Vanessa's voice dripped with sarcasm.

'I just need time! Away. From both of you!' he angrily said. They both looked like they were going to say something when Blair finally arrived. She walked to Nate's said and looked at Serena and Vanessa.

'I see you've been having a good time here,' she said to Nate who gave her a small smirk, she grabbed Nate's arm. 'Sorry ladies, you'll have to excuse Nate he has something important to get to.'

'And you know this how, Blair?' Vanessa asked.

'I know this because I'm going with him.' Blair stated and with that both she and Nate began to walk away. Serena and Vanessa watched them walk away utterly astounded.

'You need to work on your timing,' Nate said to her when out of their ear shot, 'your arrival would have been appreciated a few minutes earlier.' Blair laughed.

'Duly noted. But just be grateful I decided to intervene. I could have waited for the conversation to end.'

Nate and Blair spent the afternoon together. They parted ways at about six. Blair went home and then got ready. Chace was coming to see her.

* * *

Chace was sitting next to Blair- they were having a pretty good time. They were just watching some DVD's but it had been a decent evening. Blair looked at the time it was almost eleven. She couldn't believe time had gone so quickly. She was suddenly caught off guard when there was a knock at her door. She looked at Chace.

'I don't who that could be,' Blair got up. 'No one generally appears this time of the night un-announced.' The knocking commenced again and Blair quickly went to the door. She opened it and then froze with shock when she saw who it was.

'What are you doing here?' she managed to say once the shock wore off a bit.

* * *

_**A/N: Not so much Chair interaction this chapter. I promise that is not the case for the upcoming chapters! I hope you guys like Nate and Blair because the interactions between the two aren't ceasing any time soon... oh and just a side note a big thing for me in this fic is the friendship between Dan and Blair... Actually that's all I'm saying before I give away to much! Please review! **_


	13. Chemistry Don't Deny It

_**A/N: Here it is! I'm sorry it took so long. Compute problems. Next chapter will be up soonish. **_

_**A special thank you goes out to Kate2008 for working her magic with this chapter! Thank you! **_

_**And thank you for all the amazing reviews! They make my day! Please keep reviewing. **_

**Chapter 13: Chemistry... Dont Deny It. **

The knocking commenced again and Blair quickly went to the door. She opened it and then froze with shock when she saw who it was.

'What are you doing here?' she managed to say once the shock wore off a bit. When she received no response she spoke again. 'Chuck?' She let go of the door, and it swung further open revealing a sitting Chace to Chuck. Chuck's eyes moved to Blair's for a few second before he moved into the room. Blair didn't stop him from entering. He walked straight over to Chace and Blair followed him- strangely nervous at this sudden appearance of Chuck's; though perhaps her anxiety was rightfully present as Chuck had tried to sabotage her relationship with Chace from the start.

'You need to leave,' Chuck said towards Chace, his tone flat and straight to the point. Chace however laughed in response.

'Chuck, what the hell is going through your head? He's not leaving! We're on a date,' Blair reprimanded as she moved in front of Chuck.

'I need to talk to you, Blair.' Her eyes narrowed and she studied him, something about the way his eyes were pleading with her made her actually want to send Chace away. She sighed and began to think about this practically. She'd still be here in the morning and Chuck could talk to her then. This would alleviate the problem of offending Chace. She was about to suggest this when Chuck spoke up again.

'So, Chace, get lost!' He pointed towards the door. This angered Blair, how dare he presume to send her date running after everything he'd done? Chace made a move to stand up seemingly irritated.

'Chace Sparks, you stay where you are! Chuck Bass, you can come back tomorrow morning!' Blair spoke her voice raised with each word.

'No,' Chuck stated firmly.

'No?' Blair questioned.

'No.'

'Right, I'm just gonna go,' Chace stood up and turned to Blair. 'I think you need to sort this out.' He nudged his head in Chuck's direction before giving her a small kiss on the forehead. 'Call me tomorrow.' He added and swiftly left before Blair could stop him. She turned to Chuck and took a deep breath to calm herself.

'I'm sorry, Blair-'

'For?'

'Interrupting.' Chuck waved his hand to the couch. Blair scoffed.

'No, you're not,' Blair stated and noticed a smirk growing on Chuck's face.

'You're right. You're wasting your time with him.' Chuck's smirk broadened.

'And what would you say spending my time with you is?' He wasn't even trying to hide his pleasure at the fact that Chace was gone.

'Adventurous.' Chuck supplied. Blair gave a small laugh and folded her arms. She wanted to move this little meeting along.

''What do you want to talk to me about?'

'Us-'

'There isn't an us, Chuck!' Blair spat. Chuck had made sure of that when he'd used Dan.

'But there could be...' Chuck moved in front of Blair. 'You just have to forgive me and let me take you out on a real date.'

Blair shook her head and took a step back from him. The last thing she wanted to do was go on a date with Chuck. She was already going on dates with Chace. Chace! That was her answer. 'I'm dating Chace.'

'That's irrelevant.' Chuck spoke because to him it was. 'Besides it didn't stop you from kissing me this weekend.'

'That was a mistake!' Blair yelled it out with such force that it would have seemed to anyone else but Chuck that she really meant what she had said,

'You don't believe that, I don't believe that. If Chace worked like you and I work even he'd realize that you just aren't that into him.' Blair was stunned. She took a moment to process what he had just said to her.

'I don't work the way you work...' She stammered out.

'You love challenges and you get what you want. You think like me Blair and if you just stop making me chase you-'

'I didn't ask you to chase me!' She exclaimed and startlingly enough noticed Chuck moving closer to her.

'No, but I did chase you because it's what you needed me to do,' Chuck grabbed Blair's arm, keeping her rooted to her spot and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. 'And for some inexplicable reason, I seem to need you around me. These past few days, where I didn't get to see you, they we're boring.'

Blair's eyes grew big. She had so many thoughts and feelings running around inside her at this moment that forming words was not a possibility. Chuck stayed silent and waited for her to find her words. 'Chuck, I'm not a girl who is prone to melting at grand speeches. They're just words at the end of the day. And from what I can tell you're good at using your words to get what you want.'

'Blair-'

'No! What exactly are you trying to say?' She asked trying to move away from him, but he was still holding her.

Chuck looked at her and a split second later he pulled her into a kiss. He kept it short but passionate. He could feel Blair's body responding to him as her fingers somehow found their way into his hair and he could feel his body responding to her in an undeniable way. He pulled away and watched her eyes flutter open.

'That... is what I'm trying to say. Don't deny it.' Blair looked at Chuck and took a step back from him before turning and walking out of the room. Chuck followed her- she was holding open the front door. She nodded towards it.

'You can leave now.' Chuck smirked and walked to the door. He paused briefly when outside. Blair raised her eyebrows and gripped the door tighter. They looked at each other for a few seconds. He was pleading with his eyes for her to just give in and he could see that she was fighting hard not to do just that. Blair broke the eye contact wrenching away her gaze and swung the door shut. She retreated to her room and got ready for bed doing her best not to think about Chuck Bass.

* * *

Nate sighed and turned the page of his book. This subject was killing him but if he wanted to study what he wanted to study, he had to take it at the request of his grandfather. A second later Nate felt someone sit down at his table. He immediately looked up and smiled at Blair.

'How's it going?' she whispered to him. He shook his head and moaned in response.

'Good. Coffee break then?' She asked again not raising her voice above a whisper.

'I really have to get this done-'

'Archibald, I'll quiz you again later you learn more that way, and anyway coffee is a necessity when studying.' Nate smiled and began to pack his stuff up. They left the library swiftly. They walked to the on campus coffee shop and stood in the line to get two coffees to go.

* * *

Chuck sat down at the table and waited for Serena to join him. He looked up and suddenly noticed Nate and Blair in the line for coffee. He sighed, exasperated, by the fact that they were talking and he hadn't heard anything from Blair in two days. He watched them talk and laugh and his eyes narrowed. He was angry. A minute later his attention was drawn away when Serena sat down at his table followed by Dan. Chuck turned to them and pointed to Nate and Blair. Serena and Dan looked over at them and then back at Chuck.

'Your best friend is bonding with my best friend. That needs to change,' Chuck said to Dan. His mood had gone from happy to angry at this fact and he wanted it sorted out.

'Hi there Chuck,' Dan replied sarcastically and looked over at Blair once more. 'You're over-reacting.' Dan supplied a few moments later. Chuck scoffed.

'Are you blind? Or just naive? Blair is replacing you with Nate. Tell me why exactly are you not talking to her?'

'Because she meddled when she shouldn't have-'

'Meddled in what?' Chuck angrily asked. Dan quickly rehashed what had happened and at the end he noticed that Chuck looked ready to punch him.

'You are angry at Blair because she told you the truth when Serena didn't?' Chuck supplied and this subsequently shocked Dan. Chuck moved his gaze away from him and looked at Serena. 'Is the sex that good? Is that why he didn't get mad at you?' Chuck asked Serena.

This finally was enough to tear Serena's eyes away from Nate and Blair. She cocked her head at Chuck and narrowed her eyes. 'You're just angry Chuck, because you're worried that Nate and Blair bonded in a physical way first...' she paused and raised her eyebrows. 'Nothing bonds two people like seeing the other naked.'

'Wait wait, you think they slept together?' Dan asked Chuck quickly. Chuck didn't say anything. The thought had crossed his mind a lot. Dan laughed. 'Trust me, that didn't happen.'

Serena looked at Dan. The thought of Nate sleeping with Blair had surprisingly bothered her- she hid that fact but she knew it was there.

'Well then, you should worry that if they didn't have that to bond over then what are they bonding over?' Chuck stood up. 'You're going to loose your friend to my friend. Trust me on that one. Get over yourself and talk to her before she realizes she didn't deserve what you did.' Chuck was harsh when he said the last part and swiftly walked away. He needed to cool down.

Serena turned to Dan. 'Ignore him. He's angry because he isn't getting his way with Blair.' They both looked over at Nate and Blair and watched them get their coffees and walk away laughing. 'And trust me Nate, is no ball of sunshine to be around.' She kissed Dan softly and distracted him from his thoughts.  


* * *

  
Nate and Blair walked to a secluded part of the university and sat down on the grass. Nate took out his book and handed it to Blair. She began to quiz him on the subject he hated so much. She was half way through a question when she looked up and saw Vanessa walking past them and glancing at Nate. She sighed and looked at him. She closed the book.

'Blair?'

'Ok. I'm gonna say this once and say it quickly. I like you more than Vanessa and I've known her longer! So realize that me advocating for her is something,' Nate laughed and shifted. 'You need to talk to her. I know that Serena hurt you- but Vanessa and you were dating and you seemed to be getting along. Just talk to her ok?'

Nate took a sip of the water he had also bought at the coffee shop. He looked at Blair, surpirsed to be hearing this from her it wasn't a secret that there was no love lost between Blair and Vanessa.'If I talk to her, will you talk to Chuck?'

'Chuck and I already spoke a few days ago.'

'Continue,' Nate added when Blair stayed silent.

'He came to see me, when Chace was over and proceeded to tell me, that he wanted to take me on a real date and that there could be an us if forgave him. Oh and how he seemed to need my company.' Blair rambled this out quickly and wasn't too happy when Nate took a sip of water and promptly spat it out in her direction, right as she finished speaking.

'Blair, that's-'

'Another game of his. I know, Nate. You don't have to warn me.' Nate shook his head.

'No, that's huge,' he held his hand up to silence Blair when he noticed her about to interrupt him, 'I've known Chuck since I was a kid and he has never said anything like that to a girl before. What you told me is unprecedented for Chuck Bass.' Blair stared at Nate for a bit. She didn't know what to say to him so she just continued quizzing him.

* * *

'So this is the new piece of writing?' Dan nodded at Vanessa's question.

'I need you to read it and then be brutally honest.' Dan said seriously.

'I always am.' Vanessa smiled at him. Dan looked at his watch.

'Well, I should go I guess. See you later.' He stood to leave and Vanessa looked at him at that moment she realized she didn't want him to go. She had had a long day and was still irritated by the whole Nate scenario. She could use Dan's company; she knew it always made her feel a bit better.

'You could stay for a bit? We could watch this movie...' She trailed off and looked at Dan. He smiled.

'Sounds perfect. I could use the distraction.' He sat back down and tried to block out the thoughts of Blair that had been bothering him ever since Chuck had pretty much reprimanded him. They proceeded to spend the rest of the day and night distracting themselves watching movie after movie.

* * *

Blair climbed into bed; she had continued to help Nate study for pretty much the rest of the day. He had an upcoming test and needed to pass it or else he'd be very close to failing the subject. She let her thoughts trail and found herself thinking about that weekend away and about Chuck. He had surprised her in so many ways. She considered what Nate had told her and wondered if that really was the case. Had Chuck Bass really said something to her he'd never said to any other girl? Blair wasn't sure but she couldn't help but like the fact that it might be true, and that somehow she mattered to Chuck.

* * *

_**A/N: Random piece of info, you know the end of the first scene where Blair asks Chuck what exactly he is trying to say and he ends up kissing her etc. Originally Chuck's reply was: "I don't know" and then to kiss Blair. However I thought about all the times that "I Don't know" has ever been said to me or my friends and realised this: Those three words should be followed by swift movement away from the person who said them. Seriously. Anyway hope you guys liked this chapter! **_

_**Review Please!**_


	14. Nights aren't for Sleeping

_**A/N: Here it is! I'm sorry it took so long! Chapter 15 will be up soon, it has been written! **_

_**A special thanks to Kate2008. You are awesome! **_

_**A huge thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. The reviews were awesome! Please keep reviewing. It makes my day!**_

**Chapter 14: Nights aren't for Sleeping **

It was close to one in the morning and Blair was fast asleep. She only vaguely registered the knocking sound occurring outside of her slumber. It was enough to cause her to turn over which seemed to wake her up a bit. The sound she was hearing continued until finally Blair sat up and rubbed her eyes. She realized someone had been knocking at her door. Irritably she got out of bed and made her way to the door.

'Really? It's one in the morning!' she yelled out loudly and yanked the door open. Her mouth fell open in shock when she who it was. 'Dan?' she said eventually. 'What are you doing here?' She'd been expecting a random drunk freshman that she needed to chastise about waking people up who were trying to get their beauty sleep, but not Dan.

'I couldn't sleep,' he replied as he entered into Blair's room. Blair astounded at his appearance let the door go (not closing it properly) and followed Dan as he walked further into the room.

'Ok,' Blair begun still confused as to how his lack of sleep lead him to her when he hadn't spoken to her in so long. 'And you are here because . . .?'

'I need to talk to you.'

'And this couldn't have waited until, oh I don't know, the morning?'

'Not if I ever want to sleep tonight,' Dan replied and gave her a small smile.

'Ok, so let me get this straight. Your inability to sleep is somehow linked to the fact that you need to talk to me. So consequently we both don't get to sleep tonight.' Dan gave a small laugh as he nodded; he had forgotten how much Blair hated being woken up. She pointed to the couch. 'Well, sit down and talk then.' Blair added, running a hand through her hair as she waited for him to begin.

'I was thinking-' Dan began before a loud shout interrupted him.

'Blair!' Dan abruptly stopped talking and Blair turned around to see who was entering her room, yelling her name. Only a moment later Chuck stepped in.

'Really? Both of them in one night, really?' Blair said to no one in particular and shook her head. Chuck stopped dead when he saw Dan on the couch and then turned his attention to Blair.

'What are you doing here? She asked him. She was wide awake now, something she found more than slightly irritating.

Chuck couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was wearing rather sexy lingerie which was making it hard for him to concentrate. It wasn't too revealing but it was designed in a way that would captivate pretty much any guy that saw Blair in it. He heard her repeat her question and finally registered what she asked and remembered why he had come to see her. 'Nate-' Chuck supplied.

'He's here?' Dan asked suddenly shocked. Chuck looked at him and couldn't help but wonder what he was doing here.

Blair scoffed. 'No, Nate isn't here,' she shook her head. She was slightly angry that Dan would think that. 'What about him?' she asked Chuck, catching his attention again.

'I can't find him. Do you know where he is?'

'Probably in his room sleeping, he has an important test tomorrow.'

'No, he's not. He went out and I was supposed to meet him but no one seems to know where he went and I can't get a hold of him. I thought-'

'I'm sorry… Did you say he went out?'

'Yes.' Just then Blair's phone began to ring. She groaned out loud.

'Don't leave.' She said to both Dan and Chuck and went to answer her phone.

'Nate!' she exclaimed and walked back into the room. 'You got drunk,' she said and noticed Chuck and Dan watching her. 'Your test is tomorrow!' she yelled out. 'Oh well, as long as you haven't forgotten!' she went quiet. 'Oh, I see you thought if you had some fun you would do better in the test tomorrow.' More silence on her part, she stamped her foot. 'Writing drunk or hungover will not be very helpful, Archibald.' More silence. 'What do you mean that is irrelevant now.' She listened again and gave a half chuckle half scoff. 'Where are you?' she waited for his reply. 'The "Sunrise Spot"? Where is that?' she questioned him confused. 'Yes, Archibald, I'll come and quickly but where is it?' More silence and then suddenly Blair's expression change to one of disbelief. She removed the phone from her ear and turned to Chuck. 'He's completely smashed and needs me to go pick him up; but he put the phone down before he told me where the place is! He's at some place called the "Sunrise Spot" do you know where that is?' Chuck shook his head. They both turned to Dan who also shook his head. Looking at Dan suddenly gave Blair an idea.

'I'm going to go ask Serena.' She stated and turned to leave.

'Blair!' Dan and Chuck yelled out- stopping her.

'What?'

'Let Chuck go,' Dan said quickly.

'No.'

'Our talk-' Dan began again.

'Can happen later.' She stated so resolutely that Dan knew it was futile to argue with her about it. He sighed and didn't reply. Blair turned once more to leave and was prevented this time by Chuck.

'Blair!' he yelled out quickly. She turned and gave him an irritated look.

'Yes, Chuck?'

'You are not walking across campus alone at this time of the night and especially not in what you are wearing.' He folded his arms and gave her a stern look. 'Go change. I'll wait for you.' Blair looked at Chuck and gave him a small nod- she hadn't even thought about what she wearing. Dan's attention was immediately drawn to the same point of interest and he found that he agreed as well.

'I'll come too.' He added a second later. Blair quickly went and threw some jeans on with a simple but pretty top. She grabbed a pair of shoes and minutes later they left her room and were walking to Serena's. Blair inwardly groaned once outisde, it was a bit chilly and she hadn't taken a jacket.

Chuck glanced at Blair, she seemed to be a cold and really worried. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear telling him that she was slightly irritated as well. He watched her for a bit and noticed her rubbing her arms. He took his jacket off and caught up with her. He put a hand on her arm to catch her attention. She stopped and looked at him curiously well trying to ignore the tingly feeling her arm was experiencing from his touch. He held out his jacket for her.

'Here.'

'That's ok-' Blair began and shook her head.

'Blair, you have goose bumps.' Chuck replied softly. He put his jacket in her hand and walked ahead of her and caught up with Dan. She put the jacket on and continued walking. They reached Serena's dorm a few minutes later. Blair knocked on the door and waited- there was no response. She knocked again and waited.

'Is she in?' she asked Dan. He nodded in response. Consequently Blair began to continuously knock on the door at quite a loud volume. 'Serena I know you're in there, wake up, it's important!' A moment later the door swung open. Serena looked at them all and then scrunched her forehead.

'Am I dreaming? Do I need to pinch myself?' They all gave a small laugh at that. Dan walked up and placed a kiss on her forehead.

'I'll quickly fill her in,' Dan said to the others.

'Ok.' Blair replied and took a hold of Chuck's arm, proceeding to pull him aside. They silently stared at each other. The room door closed and for a moment they tore their gaze away from each other. About a minute later Serena came back followed by Dan. She had changed into jeans and a top as well.

'Ok. I know where that is. Should we go?' Blair nodded.

'Whose car is closest?'

'Mine is.' Chuck replied. They swiftly made their way over to his car.

'Dan mentioned something about Nate having an important test tomorrow?' Serena asked Blair when she caught up to her.

'Yeah, it's for his politics course if he fails he'll have his grandfather to deal with.' Serena vaguely knew of what Blair was referring too. She looked down- suddenly a bit more worried about Nate- and picked up her pace. They were on the road in a matter of moments. Everyone was silent. Serena was in the front with Chuck leaving Dan and Blair in the back. The only sound throughout the drive came from Serena when she gave Chuck a direction to take. The trip took about fifteen minutes. They finally stopped on the side of a random road (which was really well lit) to find Nate sitting on an old picnic table. Assumedly facing the direction the sun would rise in. Blair immediately got out the car before anyone else. She made her way over to Nate- not as surprised as she thought she'd be to realise this was "Sunrise Spot."

'Archibald.' She said when she reached him. He turned around and gave her a huge smile. He got off the table and walked to her carefully. Once he reached her he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

'Hi,' he said and together they began to walk to the car. 'Blair, I think I'm really drunk.'

'Really now?' Blair said and gave a small laugh.

'Yeah, I swear I see Serena Chuck and Dan in the car… way too drunk… I'm seeing things.' Blair laughed and gave him a slight nudge.

'We can go with that,' she said to him and opened the car door for him. Nate turned to her.

'Wait are they really here?'

'Get in and you'll find out.' Nate smiled once more at her and got into the back seat. Blair followed him in. Chuck started the car.

'Evening,' Nate said a few moments later once he realised that Serena, Chuck and Dan were really there, 'I hadn't realised I had called all of you.' He added. Everyone laughed.

'How much did you drink?' Serena asked him. He looked at her.

'A lot.'

'Evidently.' Chuck added. A silence fell on the car. Nate leaned his head on Blair's shoulder and closed his eyes he wasn't feeling too great all of a sudden. Chuck kept glancing at the two and Blair kept her eyes on the road outside her window. Serena kept throwing glances at Dan and then Nate. It wasn't long before they reached their campus.

'Ok. How is this working?' Chuck asked he needed to know where about on campus he should stop.

'Well, I think you can drop me and Nate off here I want to make sure he gets to bed and drinks some water. His test is in a few hours.' Blair stated.

'No,' Serena turned to look at her. 'Nate will get really sick if you give him water. I'll deal with him. I'll make sure he gets to bed and gets to his test.' Blair looked as if she was about to argue with that idea when Dan spoke up.

'I need to talk to you anyway,' he paused and looked at her. Blair couldn't help but note that he looked angry.

'Ok.' Blair finally conceded. It was true, she had never really dealt with drunk Nate before, while Serena clearly had. Serena got out the car and so did Dan and Blair. It was still quite dark. Nate eventually made his way out. Serena walked up to him and looped her arm with his.

'Just like old times, Archibald,' she said to him softly. He seemed rather shocked. 'Night guys. Dan I will see you tomorrow.' She added and they began to walk away. Blair looked back to the car and walked over to Chuck's window.

'Dan and I will walk from here,' she considered him for a bit, 'thanks for driving.' She eventually said and turned away walking back to Dan. Her dorm really wasn't far from where they were and she figured a walk may be good for the two of them. She walked off and Dan followed. Chuck started the car once more and left. After a few moments Dan finally broke the silence.

'Have you replaced me?' he asked rather harshly.

'What?'

'With Nate. Have you replaced me?' Blair stopped walking and looked at him.

'That's ridiculous. I have not replaced you.'

'Well it seems like you have a new best friend in Nate there-'

'Tell me Dan, is it the fact that I may have found a friend who actually acts like a friend or the fact that it's Nate that bothers you?' she threw that out and began to walk again.

'What?' it was Dan's turn to ask that question.

'You heard me, is it the loss of my friendship that bothers you or Nate?'

'Blair…' Dan sighed he really had screwed up and he hadn't realized just how much until that moment. 'I don't care that it's Nate I care about you.' They had reached the stairs that lead to Blair's floor. Dan didn't say anything more until they had gone inside her room. She took a seat on one couch indicated that Dan should sit on the other. From there she waited for him to continue.

'The other day Chuck pretty much reprimanded me for being such an ass to you and when Chuck Bass reprimands you, you know you have really screwed up. And I did, I was an ass to you Blair and I fully realize that. You were looking out for me and I didn't get that until Chuck pointed it out.' He paused and shifted in his seat. 'That's why I haven't been sleeping, and needed to talk to you. I wanted to say that I'm sorry.' He finished and looked at Blair. She was processing all of this.

'Don't do it again.' She said after a few minutes. She was surprised to hear that Chuck had spoken to Dan about this. She was also relieved that she and Dan were finally sorting this out. She did miss him but there was something she needed to get straight with him. 'But seriously Dan you hurt me when you trusted Vanessa over me. Especially considering her past with you and what she did,' she added and looked at him seriously.

'Blair-'

'No, Dan, listen I love you, you know that. But if you trust her over me again I won't be around anymore.' He nodded.

'I'm sorry,' he said softly and looked at her. She stood up and walked to Dan.

'You're still my best friend,' she said and then playfully punched him in the shoulder. Giving him a small smile she spoke again 'thanks for tonight but seriously I want to get back to bed and you should try to get some sleep.' Dan laughed.

'Night Waldorf.' He said and gave her a small kiss on the top of her head before leaving her room. Blair was beyond happy that she and Dan had finally sorted things out. Even though she and Nate had gotten closer the past few weeks, he wasn't Dan.

Once he had left she went straight to bed. It was only when she was changing that she realized she still had Chuck's jacket. Once she had looked at it, she couldn't keep her thoughts away from Chuck. She really wanted to know why he had attacked Dan for his behaviour towards her. It seemed out of character for him; perhaps she didn't know him quite as well as she thought she did. She smiled and put the jacket down she got into bed. It took her awhile before she fell asleep again as her thoughts were still racing but eventually she did.

* * *

_**A/N: Hope you guys liked it! I think most of you will really like the next chapter. Please review. **_


	15. One Answer Changes Everything

**A/N: Here it is! I'm nervous about this chapter. Now there is Chair in this chapter it's just towards the end! **

**Thanks for the reviews guys! They are amazing. Keep reviewing.:)**

**Kate2008 you are awesome! Thank you! :)  
**

**Chapter 15: One Answer Changes Everything**

Serena opened Nate's door and made her way to the bedroom. He was still asleep as she had expected. Last night she had put him to bed and had made him take two aspirins and drink some coke. She knew he'd need them to prevent a major hangover as over the years she'd learned what worked for him. She had then left and had taken his key so she'd be able to come back in the morning and wake him up before his test. She stood at the foot of the bed looking at him and couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. He really had been rather drunk last night.

'Nate.' She eventually spoke, reluctant to break the almost perfect moment but knowing it was necesary. He didn't stir. 'Nate…Nate…NATE!' The third time she called his name did the trick, as he moaned and slowly opened his eyes. He stared at Serena. She grinned at him. 'You have an hour to get ready before you have to write your test.' His only response was to nod. 'Go take a shower I'll be waiting for you when you get out.' He groaned and slowly got out of bed.

'I was pretty drunk last night wasn't I?' he asked as he moved past her, shielding his eyes from the light in the room.

'Yep. You were.' He sighed.

'Then I guess I deserve this headache.'

'And I made you take two aspirins last night,' Serena pointed out. Nate stared at her.

'Ok point taken, I'm going to go shower. See you soon.' He walked into the bathroom. Serena left his dorm and went to get them some breakfast while he was showering, returning awhile later with two coffees and Nate's favourite hangover breakfast. She sat on the couch and drank her coffee while she waited. He emerged about five minutes later wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. Serena had always liked the shirt of his that he was wearing. He sat down next to her. She handed him his coffee and the food. He turned to her and smiled.

'You didn't?' he asked. She gave a small laugh.

'Chocolate muffin and all,' she replied. 'I thought you might need it this morning.'

'Thank you,' Nate said and took a sip of his coffee. He didn't know what else to say to Serena. He hadn't expected her to wake him up or do anything else she had done from last night to this morning. He still found it hard to be her around her. Things between them were really messed up and he knew that was mostly his fault. He took another sip of his coffee and attempted to distract his thoughts from Serena and their relationship.

'So this test,' Serena began and turned to look at him. 'Blair said it was really important. What's going on?' Nate sighed.

'If I don't do well in this test I've pretty much failed this course,' Nate supplied as he took a bite of the muffin.

'Why is it so important you pass this particular subject?'

'Because if I don't my grandfather will make me do that political internship,' he paused and waited for her to realize what he was talking about. He had told her about how his grandfather had wanted him to do this internship, and how the only way he could be left alone (and allowed to study what he wanted to study) was if he passed this one subject. He had failed to mention which subject it was or the fact that he was struggling to pass it.

'Oh! Nate! Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you study!'

'Blair helped me study and you know why I didn't tell you.' With that he got up and made his way back into his room. Serena stood up and followed him.

'That's not an excuse, what happened between us isn't an excuse. I was your friend before…' she paused not knowing quite how to finish that sentence. Before what? Before she became his friend who provided certain benefits or before she became something more to him?

'Look, I just need some time-'

'Yeah and I want my friend back.' Serena stated angrily. Nate looked at his watch he didn't have time for this. He needed to leave to get to his testing centre. He walked towards her and stood in front of her.

'Thank you for last night and this morning,' he said and stepped closer to her. He lowered his voice. 'The part of me that cares for you as a friend will always be there but currently there is a still a part of me that wants you in a less than friendly way and you just need to give me some time to get rid of that part. Please.' He finished and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. 'I have to go.' He felt Serena grab his wrist when he said he had to go. He looked at her curiously. She seemed to realize what she had done and let his wrist go.

'Good luck.' She said softly as she watched him leave.

* * *

Blair laughed and smacked Dan lightly.

'That was uncalled for!' Dan stated and rubbed his shoulder- even though Blair's 'smack' really hadn't hurt.

'Well, the next time you want to say something like that-'

'I should be out of arms reach from you?' Dan suggested and grinned at her. They had met up for coffee that morning and we're getting along as if their fight had never happened. Dan had missed Blair and didn't quite realize how much until now. He kicked himself constantly for what he had done to her and promised himself he wouldn't be so quick to cast aside their friendship like he had. They had been talking for about two hours now. Neither had lectures this morning, so both could afford to spend as much time having coffee as they wanted. Blair's phone went off. She opened the message and grinned. She looked at Dan.

'Nate thinks his test went well,' she paused and read the rest of the message, 'and surprisingly he wants to go out and celebrate tonight.' Dan laughed.

'I'm glad it went well.'

'Me too. You should come with tonight.'

'I'm going to have skip. Serena and I have plans.'

'Bring her.' Blair suggested and then quickly realized why that may not be the best idea to have Serena, Dan and Nate all out together.

'Uh…' Dan began.

'Yeah, never mind that. We should probably wait until Serena and Nate sort things out.' Dan nodded. They continued to talk for a bit before they had to go to their lectures for the day.

* * *

Blair had just finished applying her make up when she heard a knock at her door. She left her room and went to open it. Nate stood there beaming. He pulled her into a hug and swung her around.

'You think the test went that well?' she said when he put her down.

'Yep, and it wouldn't have without your help.'

'Archibald, all I did was quiz you. You did the hard work.' She walked into her room and Nate followed. She grabbed her phone and turned to him.

'You sure you're up for another night of partying? You were pretty drunk last night.'

'I was just practising for tonight,' Nate said and ran a hand through his hair. Blair laughed.

'Let's go.' she said before leading the way out. She was wearing a dress that was grey at the top of it and then half way down the colour changed into black. It had buttons running down the grey bit. Her hair was done in loose curls and she was in black heels. Overall Blair looked stunning. They made their way to a club. Immediately they went and did a few celebratory shots. They danced, found some other people they knew and were having a pretty good time.

* * *

Serena entered Dan's room and sighed with relief when she saw him on the couch. She walked over to him and sat down next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he pulled her closer.

'I've been waiting to do this the whole day,' Serena said to him. Dan placed a kiss on top of her head.

'Long day?' he asked her and began to play with her hair.

'Yeah. Long and draining.'

'Well, I have something that will make it a bit better,' Dan said and Serena looked up at him excitedly. 'I got all of your favourite movies and ice cream and figured we could just stay in tonight instead of heading out like we had planned.' Serena moved out of his hold and turned to face him. She pulled him into a kiss.

'You are the best,' she mumbled against his lips. They broke apart.

'Should I set up a movie quickly?' Serena nodded but before he could get up she pulled him into another kiss. Dan readjusted their positions so that she was lying down on the couch and he was above her. He felt Serena's hand under his shirt and was quickly forgetting that he was meant to be setting up the movie. There moment was interrupted, however, a minute later by knocking on Dan's door.

'Dan!' they heard a voice yell out. He realized immediately that it was Vanessa. He sighed and pulled back. 'I should get that.' Serena nodded and they both sat up. Dan got up and answered the door. A frantic Vanessa stepped into his room.

'Vanessa what's wrong?' he asked leading her into the room Serena was in.

'I just lost all of my work on that script I was working on,' she paused and looked at Serena and then Dan. 'I am sorry for interrupting but Dan I really need your help.' Dan looked at Serena and then Vanessa. Suddenly Serena stood up and walked over to Dan and grabbed his hand.

'Don't worry. We can do this another time.' She turned to Vanessa. 'I hope your stuff works out.'

'I'm so sorry for interrupting,' Vanessa said to her.

'Don't worry about it.' Dan and Serena said at the same time. Serena gave them both a small smile and then gave Dan a small peck. 'Call me tomorrow.' She said and with that she left Dan and Vanessa.

* * *

It was reasonably late, Nate was rather tired and Blair's feet were really starting to hurt her so they decided to leave the club. They made their way back to the car laughing. It had been a really great night.

'So, tell me what happened after you fetched me last night?' Nate asked once they were on their way back to their dorms. He was curious to know if Chuck or Dan had said anything to Blair. She looked at him.

'Well, Dan and I sorted things out,' she said. Blair took her heels off and waited for Nate to say something- she didn't wait long.

'Really? What happened?'

'Dan came to his senses…' she hesitated, something Nate immediately noticed. He glanced at her briefly and saw her looking down.

'Blair?' he asked concerned.

'Sorry,' she said and then looked up at him. 'He came to his senses surprisingly thanks to Chuck.'

'Chuck?'

'Yeah, he apparently spoke to Dan about it.'

'Blair,' Nate glanced at her again. 'I've told you this before, but I'm going to say it again, I have never seen my friend act like this over any girl.'

'Nate, he just spoke to Dan. It's not a big deal.'

'No, it is, there was no reason for him to do that, and trust me Chuck Bass doesn't interfere into situations with well…feelings involved.' Nate tried to phrase that as eloquently as he could. He heard Blair sigh. 'Just talk to him ok?' He could feel Blair's eyes on him.

'Have you spoken to Vanessa?' she suddenly shot out at him. Nate looked over at her and gave her a small smile. She really could become defensive quite quickly.

'No, but I'm going to.' He said to her and he really meant it. It was time for him to move on from Serena and he figured he owed Vanessa an apology.

'Really?'

'Yeah.'

'Archibald, you constantly surprise me.' Blair stated and from then out until they reached campus the two proceeded to have a light hearted fun conversation.

Nate dropped Blair off and she walked up to her room. Her mind was still on Chuck and what Nate had said. She opened her door and entered her room. She made her way into her bedroom. She sat down on her bed and took her heels off once again. When she looked up Chuck's jacket caught her eye. She stared at it and suddenly an idea hit her. She stood up and grabbed the jacket, putting her heels back. Blair quickly left her own dorm and made her way to Chuck's room. She reached it quickly and didn't hesitate to knock on his door. Surprisingly Chuck opened his door almost immediately.

'Blair?' he said shocked at her presence as he took in her appearance. The dress she was wearing fit her perfectly and her hair was down and curly in just the way he liked it. 'Come in.' he added and moved aside. Blair entered and stood there awkwardly. Chuck moved passed her and she followed him. He motioned to the couch.

'Do you want to sit down?' he asked not quite sure what she was doing here considering she hadn't said anything yet. She shook her head.

'No,' she then held out his jacket for him. 'I just wanted to return this.' Blair was surprised to find Chuck awake and more surprised to find how attracted she was to him at the moment. He was in black pants and in a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He wasn't too dressed up but there was something about it that was driving Blair crazy. He took the jacket from her.

'You came here in the middle of the night to return my jacket?' Chuck asked unconvinced. Blair smiled at him.

'Yes, I was hoping you would be asleep. I was trying to show you what it feels like to pitch up at someone's room door, unexpectedly, at random hours of the night.' Chuck gave a small laugh.

'Well, sorry to disappoint you. I just got in.'

'Don't worry. You can make it up to me.' Blair replied and realized that it was now or never that she was going to find out what she wanted to know.

'How?' Chuck asked her. He was finding Blair's actions rather intriguing.

'By telling me why you spoke to Dan.' she stated.

'You have to be more specific Blair, I speak to Dan a lot these days.'

'About me. You spoke to him about me.' She said and immediately knew that Chuck knew what she was talking about. He had looked down and then up at her- it was a dead giveaway. Chuck sighed and put his hands in his pocket. He looked at Blair.

'The truth, Bass,' she said a moment later. He held her gaze.

'I know you care about Dan,' he said and then hesitated and looked ready to stop talking right then, when Blair walked forward and placed a hand on his arm.

'Chuck, just this once tell me-'

'I know you care about him and I care about you. That's why I did it.' Chuck interrupted her and once he had said it he took a step back from her and went to get a bottle of water. He hadn't been expecting any of this tonight and didn't know what to make of it. Blair stared at Chuck surprised by his answer and unsure if she truly believed him. She stared at him for a bit.

'Yes.' She suddenly blurted out. Chuck looked at her.

'Yes what?' he asked, walking back to her.

'You can take me out on a real date,' she said, walking over to him. She realized that even though she was unsure about whether or not he really cared about her, she wanted it to be true. And she wanted Chuck and he was right they did have chemistry- there was no point in denying it anymore. She also considered everything Nate had been telling her. This all led Blair to decide to take another risk on Chuck. She looked at him and noticed a small smile on his face. Suddenly Blair found herself closing the space between them as she brought her lips to his. She gave him a soft short kiss, reluctantly pulling away to look at him once more, he was holding her and hadn't let her go.

'Friday then,' he said and pulled her in for one more kiss, once more soft and sweet and so very un-Bass-like, before letting her go.

'8'o'clock Bass, don't be late. I'm not giving you another chance.' Blair said as she turned to leave.

'Blair,' Chuck called out to her, she looked back at him. 'Does this mean you forgive me?' She looked at him.

'This means I'm ignoring my better judgement.'

'I'm glad you are,' Chuck said so softly that Blair could only vaguely make out what he had said. She sighed and found herself swiftly walking back to him in order to kiss him once more. Everything about him tonight was so attractive and she just couldn't deny herself of him right now. This kiss was hot unlike the others. Her one hand was in his hair and his one hand was running up her side and down her back. Eventually Chuck broke the kiss once he felt Blair's hand under his shirt.

'I'll see you on Friday.' He knew that if he hadn't stopped the kiss then, that the likelihood of them stopping at all was very slim. Blair nodded and smiled. She knew that she was having as much of an effect on Chuck as he was having on her. She gave him a small nod and turned to leave. As she walked back to her dorm and got ready for bed she kept replaying in her head what had just happened with her and Chuck. She was giving him another chance and was really hoping that she wasn't making a huge mistake.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I do hope you guys like this chapter. I am super nervous and excited to hear what you guys think about it. So please review! Also I must say there is a lot coming up for Serena/Dan/Nate/Vanessa. But do you guys want me to give you any clues as to how that will end? Or is it Ok if I just keep that my little secret :) Please review!**


	16. Date Night

**A/N: Here it is! Hope you guys like it! Chapter 17 is by far my favourite chapter and will be up soon. **

**Thanks for all the great reviews guys! They make my day! Keep reviewing!**

**Kate2008 Thank you for your help!**

**Chapter 16: Date Night**

Blair paced the room and stopped in front of her mirror. She checked her outfit and make-up once more. She looked at herself and shook her head. This was ridiculous she was Blair Waldorf and Blair Waldorf did not get this nervous over a guy or a date. Shaking herself out of it she turned and left her bedroom. She found her phone and checked the time; she had ten minutes before Chuck would be there. It was enough time for her to make a quick phone call. She scrolled down to Nate's number and dialled it.

'Hey Blair,' Nate answered.

'Hey Archibald, you know I thought I'd find out if you've spoken to Vanessa yet?' Blair asked and went back into her room to find her lip gloss.

'No. But I will.'

'Really? Thanks to you I'm going on a date with Chuck and I think-'

'Blair, you agreed to the date! I told you to just talk to him.' He laughed. He knew that she was just nervous, and consequently knew not to take any of her accusations seriously.

'Not much difference between the two there,' she said seriously and sat down on her couch. 'Look, Nate, if I can do this then you can talk to Vanessa.'

'I will talk to her.'

'Good, then I expect to hear all about how that talk went with her tomorrow.'

'Tomorrow?' Nate exclaimed.

'Yes! No time like the present to get something done!'

'Blair-'

'No excuses.' Just then Blair heard a knock at the door. 'Chuck's here, I have to go. Good luck.' She said ending the call before he could reply. Blair took a calming breath as she walked to the door. Chuck was looking down and immediately looked up when he saw a pair of heels enter his vision. Blair looked amazing as always. She was in a black off the shoulder dress and her hair was down and curly. Chuck smiled.

'Bass,' Blair said after a few moments of silence. 'You're on time. Good start.' Chuck laughed.

'Being late is never something you have to worry about with me,' he replied and held out his hand for her. She took it and stepped out the door closing it behind her.

'What do I have to worry about then?'

'As of right now...nothing.' Blair shook her head at him. They reached Chuck's car and he opened the door for her. She got in- still feeling uneasy about the whole night. A few seconds later they were on their way to their destination. The trip was extremely short. Chuck got out of the car and went to Blair's side. She stepped out the car and stood in front of him.

'Wait here.' Chuck said moving to the back of his car where he opened the door and reached in to grab something. He returned a moment later. Blair looked down at what he was holding. She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows.

'You'll be needing this,' he said and held out a mask for her (which would only cover her eyes). It was black and had silver glitter going around it in a pattern. On the left side of the mask there were black feathers coming off, each with a few beads on it.

'For?'

'The party we're going to.' Chuck moved behind Blair, tying the mask on for her. As he did, Blair became very aware of his presence. Once he was done he let his right hand run down her neck and arm relishing the feel of the shiver he caused her at the contact. A few seconds later Blair spun around and faced him.

'Why am I the only one in a mask?' she asked him curiously.

'It's a tradition.' Chuck briefly explained that the party they were attending was an annual party thrown by a society in the college. It was a tradition for the girl to be in a mask (and a black dress which Chuck had also asked Blair to wear) and the guy not to be. The whole point was that if the guy could find the girl he had come in with at the end of the night, then the two of you were meant to be, of course most of the time girls left with different guys by the end of the night. It was a test of sorts. To see if you still wanted to be with the person you came in with at the start of the night or if some other stranger could captivate your interests.

'I've heard of this,' Blair said and tried to move a piece of her hair away from her face, 'Not many people actually believe this party happens.' Blair smiled and still tried to move the piece of hair away which the mask was making impossible to do.

'I thought you would like it,' Chuck said and moving closer he gently moved the piece of hair away that was irritating her. They began to walk to the entrance of the party. It was true Blair did like the idea of the party; it intrigued her and simultaneously excited her. She was impressed that Chuck had thought of it and had gotten them in. They reached the entrance. She turned to Chuck before they were about to go in.

'What makes you so sure you'll find me at the end of the night?' She asked him curiously and couldn't help but notice the way he was staring at her. He was looking at her so intently it sent goose bumps over her body.

'Because you're one of a kind Blair Waldorf,' he took her hand and kissed it just as they reached the doorway. 'I'll find you way before the end of night.' She moved her hand out of his and walked in. As she did another guy stepped out to escort her. She nodded to Chuck. Excited to see how the night would go and a bit disappointed to realize that she may not see much of him through the night.

Chuck watched her go, knowing this was apart of the process of the party. You weren't supposed to stay with your date; she was supposed to be taken away. After all, the whole point of the party was to find her by the end of the night…if you wanted to or if she wanted you to. He looked around the room it was dimly lit and there were a lot of people there. They really did make this night a challenge.

* * *

Nate paused at the door and raised his hand to knock on it. He almost hit it and the dropped his hand. He was outside Vanessa's room. He sighed and shook his head. Blair was right he could do this. He knocked on the door and waited. He knocked again, a bit harder this time.

'She's not there.' Nate heard someone say behind him. He turned around finding Serena standing before him.

'Oh,' he said and folded his arms, 'You sure?' He asked and then noticed her frustrated sigh. She began to play with her bracelet.

'I'm sure,' she replied and began to walk away. Nate watched her go for a few seconds and then moved to catch up with her- without realizing that he had actually decided to follow her.

'What's wrong, Serena?' he asked her. She looked at him.

'If I said nothing would you believe me and drop it?'

'Probably not.'

'Men…' Serena said and shook her head. Nate laughed.

'Come on,' he said nudging her softly, 'What's up?'

'Its date night!' Serena exclaimed and continued talking before Nate could question her about it. 'The other day Vanessa lost all her work on this major project, she's been working on, which is due for Monday. Since then Dan has been helping her redo it and I've barely seen him. So we specifically set tonight aside to see each other and he calls me half an hour ago and cancels, because Vanessa came up with another idea for the project and he wants to help her with it …tonight.' She finished talking and turned to Nate. 'And I know! I sound like the whiny girlfriend! I get it, its great that he's helping Vanessa but I just really wanted to go out and have fun tonight on our date!' Nate nodded and stopped her from walking. She looked at him.

'Look Serena, I can't take you out on a date-'

'Archibald-' Serena interrupted irritated but was cut off by Nate.

'Relax, Van der Woodsen, I'm not about to profess my feelings for you…again. What I was going to say is that I can't take you on a date but I can hang out with you?' Nate realized that he wanted to be friends with her again and that hanging out with her would probably be a good way to start. Serena narrowed her eyes at him and then grinned- she knew they could have fun together and she wanted to hang out with him.

'Ok, Archibald, come with me.' She said and they left the dorm.

* * *

Blair sighed and turned to the bar.

'Can I get another one of these?' the barmen nodded and left to make her cocktail. She had spoken to multiple guys that night and had just managed to escape from the last one- who Blair had found unbearable boring. She hadn't seen Chuck at all and wasn't really enjoying the party. It had sounded more glamorous than it actually was. Suddenly she felt an arm around her waist, causing her to turn around.

'Why is a girl like you at the bar alone?' this blue eyed, blonde haired guy asked charmingly.

'Why do you have your arm around me?' Blair shot back. They guy stepped back from her.

'Pleasure to meet you.' He replied with a slight smirk. Blair considered him for a moment. He certainly was more interesting than the previous guy.

Chuck moved around the room, he hadn't spotted Blair, there were a lot of girls at the party. He was stopped by another girl when he was near the bar. She struck up a conversation with him. His interest piqued a bit but his mind was still on Blair. He figured he would have found her long ago.

Blair smiled and laughed. This guy was interesting.

'Shall we move to one of the tables?' he asked. Blair looked at him and down at the floor. She then looked back up.

'Sure.' She said and they left the bar.

'I'll get you a drink,' Chuck said as an attempt to get away from the girl he had been talking to and find Blair. He made his way over to the bar. She wasn't there. He sighed and ordered a drink for himself. He never thought it would be this hard to find her.

* * *

Serena and Nate stepped out of the bar laughing.

'Since when can you do Tequila?' she asked him seriously. She was currently following Nate- not certain where they were going.

'I've gotten some practice in thanks to Blair,' they crossed the road and stopped at a small coffee shop. Nate sat Serena down at one of the tables. 'I will be right back,' he added and went inside. A few minutes later he returned with two bottles of waters and ice cream. He handed a bottle of water over to Serena and an ice cream before sitting down. She grinned at him.

'You know me too well!' she exclaimed as she began to eat the ice cream.

'I've been out with you enough times to know that ice cream is your weakness,' Nate said, taking a sip of his water. 'And that for some reason it sobers you up.' Serena looked at him excitedly.

'You know what else sobers me up?' Nate waited for her to continue. 'Swimming.' He raised his eyebrows at her.

'Where?'

'College pool?'

'It's locked at night,' Nate replied.

'Since when has a fence kept you out of anything?' Serena asked and waited for Nate to reply.

* * *

The party was going to end soon and Chuck still hadn't found Blair. He had started to wonder if she had left. Now he was almost frantic in his search. People kept stopping him along the way. Frustrated he started to ignore people. He went outside to look for her but couldn't seem to spot her.

Blair smiled and stood up. 'Do you mind if I go outside for some air?' she asked Lucas-who she had basically spent her night with.

'You want me to come with you?'

'No, I'll come back here.' she gave him a small smile and left.

Chuck re-entered the party just as Blair stepped outside. Another girl came up to him. He was standing with his back towards the exit. This girl was talking to him, when he turned to look at the doors behind him. He turned back to the girl ignoring the strange feeling he was getting to go back outside.

'So when my friend said you were Chuck Bass…' her words faded out and Chuck looked towards the entrance again. He looked back at her.

'Excuse me.' He said and walked away before she could say anything. He turned back and made his way towards the entrance. He walked outside once more and looked to his left and then right. He didn't see Blair. He walked a bit further out and then sighed with relief. There she was, staring up at the stars. Chuck walked to her swiftly, relieved. When he reached her he gently placed his hand on her arm. Blair felt the hand on her arm and immediately knew it was Chuck. She knew what it felt like when he touched her.

'I thought you said I wouldn't have to worry about you being late,' Blair finally said as she looked at him. She couldn't help the smile that formed. She was glad he had found her; she was starting to think he had left with someone else.

'The party only ends in about twenty minutes,' Chuck replied.

'Exactly. You were supposed to find me earlier,' she paused and looked at him, 'you want to go back inside? See how it ends?' Chuck shook his head.

'Waldorf, I tried to find you earlier, in fact I don't think I'm coming back to this party ever,' he paused and moved behind her, beginning to untie the mask, 'it made me realize that I'd rather spend my night with my date, rather than look for her wondering if she left with some one else.' He removed it and Blair turned around to face him. He took a hold of her hand. 'I have something else planned. Should we leave?' Blair studied him.

'I don't know, you had your chance Bass-' he stopped her with a kiss. She immediately responded to him and pulled him closer to her. She ran a hand through his hair. Chuck slowed the kiss down and pulled away.

'Ok,' Blair said and then began to walk away from the party.

* * *

Nate got out of the pool and went into the locker area, coming back with two towels. He dropped the one by the edge of the pool and then began to dry himself. Serena got dried themselves and dressed. Serena walked over to Nate.

'That was fun,' she said and threw the towel at him. He caught it and laughed.

'I did enjoy dunking you,' Nate added and laughed once more. Serena looked at him. She had forgotten what it was like to be around Nate and to have fun with him. She missed it. She missed him. She walked towards him and grabbed his hand.

'One more stop,' she said and pulled him along. They climbed back over the fence, where she hailed a taxi. They got in and Serena told the taxi where to go. They arrived at Sunrise Spot. Nate got out of the car and stared at her.

'Its tradition,' she said and walked to the picnic table. Nate hesitated and then followed her. She lay down on the table and Nate did the same. They had a tradition they would watch the stars for the remainder of the night (which generally was never long when they arrived there) and then watch the sun rise. After which they would go back to their campus. Nate lay down next to her. Their arms were lightly brushing against each other-something they were both very aware of. They lay there and waited for the sunrise- lightly talking.

* * *

'Chuck, seriously, where are you taking me?' Blair said. They were back at campus and were walking across one of the sports fields.

'It's just a little bit further,' he said as he reached back for hand. He intertwined their fingers.

'Chuck Bass, first you take me to a party, which ended up being well… a disappointment and now your leading me to the-' Blair stopped talking when she saw what was in front of her. They were in a little secluded field that Blair didn't even know was a part of the sports field- which was lightly lit but the surrounding lights. There was a blanket on the ground and a basket. She looked at Chuck.

'What's this?'

'This was supposed to be where ended up hours ago,' he moved to the blanket and sat down. Blair stared at him and realized something. This was what made Chuck Bass so captivating to her; he could screw up, be an ass and then come up with something like this. Something that she had always wanted a guy to do and never did- it was as if Chuck just knew her. He took out a few things from the basket. Blair walked forward and sat down.

'So what do we have?' Chuck listed what he had brought. Blair smiled.

'I think I'm just going to skip right to the chocolate mousse,' Chuck laughed and handed her the dessert and a spoon. He began to eat one himself. Blair looked up at the stars once more and then back at Chuck. It kind of had been the perfect date, he had taken her to a party which she originally had been interested in. It was the type of party she would have tried to find eventually and even though it had been a disappointment Blair realized that he'd done it because it was so her. And then this. The whole intimate set up. She moved a bit forward to Chuck. She took his dessert out his hands and placed it next to them. She then pulled him into a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Chuck pulled her into his lap. He ran a hand up her back and felt Blair's hand move to his hair. He pulled away and placed a kiss on her jaw and then moved down her neck. He could feel Blair slightly tug his hair and he knew he had found a sensitive spot on her. He ran his hands up her arm and captured her lips once more. Blair deepened the kiss and slipped one hand under his shirt. Chuck ran a hand across up her arm again and suddenly noticed how cold her skin felt. He pulled away and looked at her.

'You're cold.' He said and shifted her off his lap. He reached into the basket and retrieved another blanket. He unwrapped it. He pulled Blair towards him once more, but this time positioned her so that they were both lying down and under the blanket. Blair was on her side facing him. He moved in and gave her another kiss. She moved on top of him and could feel Chuck's arms around her. Eventually she pulled away and leaned her head on Chuck's chest.

'Did I mention how glad I am that you gave me another chance?' Chuck said after a few moments as he began to play with her hair. 'You definitely have a kinky side I want to explore.' Blair laughed.

'All in due time, Bass.' She replied. The two continued to talk and every once in awhile kiss, for some time after. It was only when they noticed the sky going a bit lighter that they headed back to their rooms and went to bed.

* * *

**A/N: Review! Let me know what you think!**


	17. Road to Recovery

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it! **

**Thanks for all the reviews! Please keep reviewing. **

**A special thanks to Kate2008**

**Chapter 17: Road to Recovery **

Blair sat down and immediately put her head down on the table. She took a deep breath and then another one. A moment later she felt the other chair at the table being pulled out and someone sitting down. She looked up and smiled at Dan.

'Blair, are you ok?' Dan asked anxiously. He noticed that she looked pale. Blair nodded.

'I just have a headache,' she replied and then looked at the time. She still had some time to spare before her next class. 'Do you have time to get something to eat?' she asked Dan.

'Yeah, I was actually about to call you to ask the same thing, when I saw you here.' Dan looked at Blair carefully. He noticed her rubbing her temples. 'I'll go get us some lunch, you just stay here and rest for a bit. You really aren't looking so well.' He stood up and proceeded to walk away. Blair placed her head back down on the table. Like earlier she felt a chair being pulled out.

'That was quick,' she mumbled out and looked up expecting to see Dan. 'Nate!' she exclaimed. He smiled and gave her a confused look.

'What was quick?' he asked her a moment later.

'I thought you were Dan- he went to get us lunch.' Nate nodded and then cocked his head at Blair.

'Waldorf, are you ok? You really don't look so good.' Blair scoffed.

'What is it with everyone telling me that I don't look good today? Really, don't you guys know you should never say that to a girl?' Nate laughed and shook his head.

'Calm down there, Sparky, I just mean you look pale.'

'I just have a headache,' she eventually said. She looked at Nate and a smirk began to spread across her face. 'Are you done avoiding me then?'

'What are you talking about? I haven't been avoiding you,' Nate said and looked down at the table -unable to meet Blair's eyes. She gave a small chuckle.

'Please!' she exclaimed. The day after her date with Chuck, she had met up with Nate- expecting to hear all about how his talk with Vanessa went. She was surprised to hear he hadn't spoken to her but had spent the night with Serena. She then promised to nag him about talking to Vanessa. True to her word, she would nag him, when she saw him. Nate's response was to avoid her. He hated the pressure and the fact that he knew Blair was right- he should talk to Vanessa and soon. A week had passed since her first date with Chuck and Nate had avoided her for the majority of it. To his surprise he missed seeing Blair and when he saw her at the table he couldn't resist talking to her even if it meant getting nagged.

'Fine, but I only did it because you were irritating,' was his response.

Blair tilted her head. 'Well, I wouldn't have to be annoying if you manned up and spoke to Vanessa already.' Nate was about to respond when Dan sat back down.

'Dan,' Nate greeted.

'Nate.' Blair watched the two curiously. They definitely weren't comfortable around one another. Dan handed her a bottle of water and her favourite sandwich.

'Thank you, Dan.'

'Sorry Nate, if I had known you were joining us I would have-'

'I'm not, I'm just about to leave,' Nate interrupted Dan. Blair looked up from her food.

'Don't be silly, you are staying for a bit,' she said to Nate firmly. It was really time that Dan and Nate got over themselves.

'Well, let me just go get something to eat then.' With that Nate stood up and left. Blair took a bite of her sandwich. Surprisingly enough the food was sitting well with her. She put the sandwich back down. Dan sighed.

'Blair,' he looked at her and then hesitated. 'Is Nate going to be around forever?' she scrunched her eyebrows at him. 'Like, I'll have to see him from here on out.' He added a moment later.

'Well, he's my friend and you are dating one of his best friends. What do you think?' she said and drank some water.

'Him and Serena aren't best friends-' Blair knew the only reason Dan had a problem with Nate was because of Serena. She also knew that if Dan put aside his issues he would actually get along with Nate really well.

'Dan,' she put a hand on top of his, 'Serena and Nate will become friends again. You must know that?' Dan sighed frustrated. Blair removed her hand and sat back. A moment later a grin spread across Dan's face.

'You forgot one reason why Nate will be around, Blair, you're dating his other best friend-'

'We're not dating, we're "seeing how things go".' Dan laughed.

'If you say so.' Dan took a bite of his food.

'What does that mean?'

'Some things should be kept secret, Blair,' he said and gave her a cheeky smile.

'Dan Humphrey, remember who you are talking to here, discovering secrets is my forte.'

'Blair Waldorf, you forget that I have been friends with you for such a long time, that I know all of your methods.' Blair huffed at him and tried to take another bite of her sandwich. Nate returned a moment later. He began to eat and for a few minutes they all just sat there in silence. He noticed how Blair wasn't eating and had already finished her water. Suddenly he reached across the table and put a hand on Blair's forehead. Dan began to laugh.

'What are you doing, Archibald?' Blair asked shocked.

'Checking your temperature,' he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Dan stopped laughing and looked at Blair concerned. 'You're burning up.' He stated a minute later.

'Don't be ridiculous-' Blair abruptly stopped talking when Dan smacked Nate's hand away and put his on her forehead. 'Oh come on! Boys, my head isn't used to being felt up like this!' She exclaimed.

'Obviously, its other parts of your anatomy which should be used to that,' Nate replied cheekily. Dan looked at Nate and then back at Blair. He removed his hand.

'You do have a fever, Blair,' he stated seriously.

'I'm fine-'

'You've barely eaten-' Nate added.

'I have parent's guys; you don't have to baby me. I can look after myself.' Dan and Nate exchanged looks.

'They aren't-' Both Dan and Nate started at the same time. Blair laughed. They looked at her. Nate motioned for Dan to continue.

'You should go back to your dorm, sleep for a bit, Blair.'

'Dan, I have afternoon lectures.'

'You can miss them! I'm taking you back to your dorm. No arguments.' Blair looked at Nate.

'I'm with him,' he nudged his head towards Dan. Blair looked at him and then past him. She smiled at Nate and turned to Dan.

'We can leave in a minute,' she then stood up and suddenly yelled out, 'Vanessa!' Both the boys looked at her. A few moments later Vanessa walked over to the table.

'Blair, you called?' Vanessa said in a very un-impressed tone. Blair turned to Dan and pulled him up.

'Don't be rude Dan, give the girl your seat.' Dan looked at Blair shocked and then motioned for Vanessa to sit down- who did reluctantly. Blair walked over to Nate's side and bent down to whisper in his ear.

'I won't be irritating anymore,' she paused for a second. 'Enjoy the talk.' She walked over to Dan.

'Blair?' Vanessa asked again.

'Nate here wanted me to get your attention,' she explained quickly, 'and I'm not feeling well so Dan is dragging me back to my dorm. See you later.' She looped her arm in Dan's and began to pull him away. Once they were out of ear shot of the others Dan turned to Blair.

'What was that about?' she looked at Dan seriously.

'Nate has something he needs to sort out with Vanessa,' she paused judging his reaction. 'I think he wants to try with her again.'

'Oh.' Dan replied. Blair watched him and sighed.

'You sound disappointed?' she asked him seriously.

'I'm not.' Blair let the subject go. Truth be told she really wasn't feeling great and wasn't surprised to hear she was running a fever. Dan walked her to her room and essentially tucked her into bed. He left water by her bed side and told her to call if she needed anything. Blair thanked him and within minutes of his departure she fell asleep.

* * *

'Well, Blair got me over here… are you going to say anything?' Nate stared at her for a bit.

'I'm sorry,' he finally said and continued before she could, 'I was an ass. I should have told you about the whole Serena situation. I owed you an explanation.'

'Is that it?' Vanessa asked slightly angry at Nate. 'You haven't spoken to me since that weekend-' Nate cut her off in the only way he could think of at that time. He kissed her. It didn't last long. Vanessa pulled away.

'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slap you right now, Archibald?' she stated seriously and stood up.

'I'm sorry and I think I miss you.' Nate stated. Vanessa sat back down.

* * *

Blair registered the knocking at her door. She sat up and checked the time. It was 8'o'clock. She had slept through the whole afternoon up until now. She groaned and slowly got out of bed. She was feeling worse now than in the afternoon. She carefully made her way to her room door. She was feeling very dizzy. She opened the door.

'Chuck?' she asked softly when she saw him. She gripped the side of the door for support. 'What are you doing here?' she added a moment later.

'We had plans,' Chuck said concerned and watched Blair. She dropped her head and began to sway slightly; Chuck grabbed her arm to steady her. 'Blair, what's wrong?' he asked worriedly. She looked at him.

'I'm sorry, Chuck, I forgot about our plans,' she took a moment before continuing, 'you really have to leave now.' She said and before Chuck could reply she moved out of his grasp and turned around and ran to the bathroom. Chuck ignored her last comment and stepped into her room. He closed the door and made his way to the bathroom. He stood outside the door. He could hear Blair throwing up. He was extremely worried about her now. He took a step back and waited. A few minutes later he thought it was safe to go in when he heard the tap running and then stop. He knocked softly on the door.

'Blair, I'm coming in,' he said and didn't wait for her to respond. He found her on the floor with her head on her knees and her arms wrapped around them. He crouched down in front of her.

'Blair,' he said softly and stroked her hair. She eventually looked up at him. Her eyes were watery and she looked extremely pale.

'I don't know what happened,' she said softly and felt Chuck move his hand to her cheek and then forehead, 'I wasn't feeling this bad this morning.'

'You're burning up, Blair,' Chuck stated and moved a piece of her hair out of her face. 'Why didn't you tell anyone?' Concern was etched into his voice. She didn't say anything; she simply leant her head against the wall and closed her eyes. A moment later she took a deep breath and then opened her eyes.

'Chuck, please, you have to leave I don't want you to see me like this.'

'Blair-'

'Chuck! Please!' she exclaimed and then moved away from him. Chuck stood up. He looked at her and sighed. He left the bathroom and could hear her being sick once again. He found the keys to her dorm and left quickly. Blair sighed with relief when she heard Chuck leave her dorm room. She really didn't want him to see her like this.

* * *

Chuck reached campus health and walked in. He explained what was going on with Blair. They gave him something for the fever and the nausea and told him to bring her in, if she was still this sick in the morning. They told him there was a bug going around. Chuck thanked them and walked out quickly. On the way back to Blair's dorm he stopped and bought her a coke. She needed something to drink and he knew coke always helped him. He opened her room door and stepped back in. Blair didn't hear the door open. Chuck took his jacket off and left it on the couch. He walked back to the bathroom. Blair was still there, with her head against the wall and her eyes closed. He stepped back in.

'Blair,' he said softly. She opened her eyes shocked to see him.

'You came back?' she said not sure if she was more irritated that he had defied her request or more relieved that he had.

'I'm not leaving you alone when you're like this,' he crouched down in front of her again. 'Blair, you have to take this,' he said and held out the medicine the Campus Health people had given him. She shook her head.

'I can't-' she began and then stopped and leaned her head against the wall once again.

'It'll make you feel better,' he opened the coke for her. He held them both out to her. She looked at him pleadingly. He sighed and stroked her cheek. 'I promise, Blair, you will feel better once you take this.' She locked eyes with him and nodded. She took the pill and drank some coke. She then handed the coke back to Chuck. He noticed she began to shiver.

'We have to get your fever down.' Chuck stood up and turned on the shower. Blair looked at him and shook her head.

'You're only shivering because of the fever, you need this cold shower, Blair,' he crouched in front of her again. 'You don't have to have a long one.' Her eyes began to water again.

'I feel horrible, Chuck,' she said softly. 'And I really don't want you to see me like this.' He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

'I'll be back.' He stood up and went to Blair's bedroom. He found some appropriate clothes for her to wear and sleep in after the shower. He returned to the bathroom- she was still on the floor and still shivering. He put the clothes down and went to Blair. He slowly helped her get up. She looked at him and noticed how worried he looked. She reached up and put a hand on his cheek and then let it fall to his chest.

'I'm going to be fine, Chuck,' she said softly and realized she would have to take this shower. She then turned around. 'I need you to unzip me.' She was still in her dress that she had been wearing for the day. Chuck did. She was still shivering and he couldn't help but pull her in to him after he had unzipped the dress and hold her for a few moments. He let her go though quickly and she turned around to face him.

'I brought you some clothes for after,' he said and motioned to them, 'I'll be outside the bathroom.' Blair nodded. She was still feeling dizzy and a bit nauseous. 'If you need anything…shout.' Chuck said seriously and left the bathroom closing the door behind him. Blair undressed completely and carefully stepped into the shower. When the cold water touched her skin, she flinched and began to shiver more. She remembered Chuck saying she didn't have to have a long shower. She took a deep breath and stepped under the water- being careful not to completely wet her hair. She lasted for about a minute when she turned the water off and leant against the shower wall. She eventually made her way out of the shower and dried herself. She put the clothes on which Chuck had left her and then attempted to brush her teeth.

Chuck heard the shower go off fairly soon. He waited a bit- assuming Blair was changing. He then heard the bathroom tap go on and off and then a few moments later on once more and then off. He waited for a few minutes and didn't hear anything. He moved to the bathroom door and opened it a bit.

'Blair?' he said before entering, he heard her mumble a: "mmm". He stepped in and sighed when he saw her sitting on the floor once more, with her head in her hands and shivering. He was beyond concerned about her. He walked towards her and bent down. He crouched in front of her and stroked her hair.

'Come on,' he said to her softly and then the next thing Blair knew, she felt Chuck slip his one arm under her knees and the other around her. He picked her up carefully. Blair opened her eyes. She looked at Chuck and then leaned her head on his chest. He walked out the bathroom and into her bedroom. He put her down on the bed carefully and then left the room. He came back with coke, water and a wet cloth. He put everything down. Blair was curled into a little ball and was under a light blanket. He took his shoes off and got into the bed next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

'You might get sick if you stay with me,' she whispered out while still shivering.

'I'm not going anywhere, Waldorf, so you can stop trying to get rid of me,' he said and placed a hand on her forehead. 'You still feel hot.'

'No, I feel cold,' she said and moved a bit closer to Chuck. He gave a small laugh.

'It's the fever.' She didn't say anything. Chuck began to play with her hair. He didn't know what else to do. A moment later he took the wet cloth and dabbed Blair with it. She groaned.

'Please not now.'

Chuck sighed. Her fever needed to break but he knew not to push it with Blair right now. He put on Blair's side lamp and then got out of the bed. Blair watched him while he was doing all of this. He turned off her main bedroom light and returned to the bed.

'You should try sleep,' he said softly while getting back into the bed. Chuck leaned over and turned the lamp off. He then lay down in the bed and pulled Blair towards him. She immediately moved to him and placed her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her legs with his and her one arm was gripping his shirt. He could feel her shivering but eventually the shivering died down. She took a deep breath.

'You're warm,' she said to him, 'thank you for staying,' she added a moment later. He continued to hold her. Chuck couldn't deny that he loved having Blair in his arms. And right now that is the only place he wanted her to be. He wanted to make sure she was going to be ok. He sighed and intertwined his one hand with hers.

'Try and sleep and if I fall asleep and you need anything, wake me up,' he then paused and sighed. 'And for the record, Blair, you always look beautiful to me, even when sick. There is no exception.' A smile spread across Blair's mouth. She didn't say anything though. She eventually fell asleep. Throughout the night Chuck looked after her. He would fall in and out of sleep. Every once in awhile he would get Blair something or dab her forehead with the wet cloth. Throughout the whole night Blair would always ended up back in his arms after the interruptions…

* * *

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! The next chapter will be up soon! **


	18. Game On

**A/N: ** **_PLEASE read this author's note! I just want to mention this, the couples as they stand now will not be the same by the end of this fic. I can tell you without a doubt though that Chuck and Blair will be end game though! For the Serena storyline- well if you guys want me to tell you who she will end up with... I will. Otherwise, read and enjoy the numerous moments each pairing will get. _**

**_Also a lot of you who review this fic have been constant reviewers of the fic- I just want to say a thank you to all of you! Its nice to know people really do like this fic. _**

**_For everyone who reviews the fic a huge thank you goes out to you as well! You make my day! So review guys. Even if your just a guest and don't review every chapter. _**

**_Enjoy! chapter 19 will be up on Thursday. I promise.  
_**

**Chapter 18: Game on **

**One week later: **

Blair sat down next to Dan and smiled at everyone. Nate, Serena and Vanessa were all there and they were just waiting for Chuck. It was surprisingly Dan's idea for them to all have lunch together. Blair had agreed to it- rather reluctantly. She didn't know how them all being together would go down. After all the last time they were all together was the weekend away- and that had, well, turned into a disaster.

'Where's Chuck?' Dan asked Blair. She turned to him.

'Do I look like a tracking device?' she blurted out. She hadn't meant to sound as bitchy as it had. Surprisingly Dan laughed.

'Feeling better, I see,' he said.

'Sorry.' Blair mumbled. She was feeling better finally and this little get together had slightly stressed her out. She was about to say something else when she noticed that Dan's attention was on Vanessa- who was next to Nate. Blair's eyes then drifted over to Serena and she noticed that she kept glancing between Dan and Nate. Blair inwardly groaned. The looks the four of them kept casting one another definitely foreshadowed some underlying drama which was more than likely to surface some time in the near future.

'Nate, have you gotten your results for the test yet?' Blair finally asked; as an attempt to fill the silence. He shook his head and gave her a pointed look.

'You will tell us when you do?' Serena suddenly spoke up.

'What test?' Vanessa asked.

'I will,' Nate said and turned to Vanessa, 'it's a long story, and I'll fill you in about it a bit later.' A silence fell again. Just then Chuck walked up to the table. He immediately walked over to Blair who gave a sigh of relief when she saw him.

'Thank God you're here,' she said softly so only Chuck could hear her. He grinned and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He then sat down next to Blair. Everyone else's attention suddenly settled on Chuck and Blair. Chuck moved a bit closer to Blair.

'Remember that girl I needed your help with?' Chuck asked Blair seriously, she turned to him curiously and excitedly.

'Yes?'

'She's over there,' he paused and nudged his head in the girl's direction. 'The one in the green top.'

'I'll be back,' Blair said and suddenly stood up. Chuck grabbed her hand.

'You sure you can do this now?' Blair gave him an irritated and pointed look. She raised her eyebrows at him. 'Right, stupid question.' Chuck added a moment later and Blair left the table and went over to the girl. Chuck turned his attention to the others at the table.

'What just happened?' Serena suddenly spoke up and directed the question to the table in general.

'Blair is just going to get some information for me-' Chuck started but Serena interrupted him.

'No, not that, I mean you two!' she exclaimed.

'You didn't know?' Nate suddenly spoke up. Serena turned to him.

'You want to elaborate on that one, Archibald?'

'Chuck finally got to take Blair out on a real date the other day. They seem to be doing well…' Serena turned to Dan and smacked him on his shoulder.

'Ow!'

'You didn't tell me about this?' she didn't even question if Dan knew- she knew he would know about something like this- even if him and Blair weren't friends again he would have somehow known about this.

'Personally, that worries me,' Vanessa spoke up and the attention turned to her. She suddenly realised how that could have been interpreted. 'No, no, I don't mean its worrying that Dan didn't tell you, its worrying that Chuck and Blair are dating! They're twisted.'

'You do realise, I'm still at the table?' Chuck suddenly added in. They all seemed to ignore him.

'Blair isn't twisted.' Nate suddenly added.

'Yes, she is.' Vanessa countered.

'Calm down you two,' Dan interrupted them. 'Blair just works in her own way.'

'So are you two serious?' Serena suddenly threw out the question towards Chuck and ended the previous irritating conversation –which Vanessa had started. He gave her a confused expression. 'I mean exclusive?'

'No-'

'So, then Blair is still seeing Chace as well?'

'What?' Chuck asked shocked. The thought of Chace hadn't really crossed his mind.

'Well, if you're not exclusive…' Serena trailed off and realised how much everyone had missed because of being out of contact. The information of what people knew at the table was limited. No one knew exactly what had been happening with everyone else these past days. As if scripted Dan further made a point about her above thoughts.

'What I would like to know is how exactly you two got to the place you're at currently?' Dan said to Vanessa and Nate. Nate shrugged.

'Serena can fill you in,' Nate said a moment later. Besides Blair, Nate had told Serena what had happened between him and Vanessa and how they were taking another shot- although they had decided to move considerably slower. He didn't know why he had told Serena but he had.

'You know?' Dan asked her shocked. Before Serena could reply however Blair returned to the table. She smirked at Chuck and handed him her phone. She sat down.

'That's what you need,' she said and watched his reaction. An impressed smile appeared on his face and he sent himself the information. 'What?' Blair added in when she noticed they were all staring at her.

'Well, we were discussing you and Chuck a moment ago-' Serena began- she wanted the subject to move away from Vanessa and Nate.

'You do realise Chuck was still at the table?' Blair interrupted and turned to Chuck amused; who suddenly had a very serious look on his face. 'Chuck?'

'Are you still seeing Chace?'

'What?'

'Well, are you Blair? Still seeing him?'

'Does it matter, we aren't exclusive…' Blair trailed off- she didn't want to be having this conversation- especially not in front of everyone else. Why was it that when ever they were all together something awkward always occurred?

'It does matter. I don't want you to see him?' Blair full on faced Chuck now.

'Well, does that mean you'll stop seeing other girls then?' Chuck simply just stared at her and Blair knew that translated into a "no". 'I will see Chace if I want too.'

'Blair-' Chuck and Blair's voices were beginning to rise.

'Chuck!'

'Calm down, guys.' Nate interrupted them. They both looked at him incredulously and then looked back at each other.

'Chuck, you cannot seriously think you can tell me what I can and can not do?' he stared at Blair intently.

'Blair, you don't even like Chace.'

'You don't know that!' Chuck sighed exasperated and didn't say anything for a few moments.

'Well then, I'll sort this out at the party tonight,' he eventually said and tucked a piece of hair behind Blair's ear. She smacked his hand away.

'Does that mean "game on" in Chuck language?' he smirked at her and Blair took that as confirmation. 'Just remember who you're dealing with, Bass,' she said and pointed to the girl in Green. 'I generally get what I want, when I need too.' Serena looked from Chuck to Blair and finally settled her gaze on Chuck.

'Party?' she questioned a moment later.

'How is that the only thing you found worth noting in their conversation?' Dan whispered to her. She looked at him and shushed him. She then looked back at Chuck pointedly; he began to tell her about the party.

'I'll pick you up at eight, S' Blair said to Serena suddenly and gave her a small smile. Serena turned her attention to her. 'That's if you want to come along?' she returned Blair's smile. Blair really didn't have a problem with Serena. Sure there had been issues which involved Serena but its not like she held anything against her. To be truthfully honest she missed hanging out with her. Before everything had happened they were on their way to becoming good friends. Considering they were all attempting to be friends again; she figured this would be a good place for her and Serena to resume their friendship.

'I am definitely there.' A moment later Serena turned to Dan. 'You coming?' he shook his head.

'I can't, Vanessa and I are working on-'

'I thought her project was done?' Serena said irritably.

'It is, this is for Dan's writing class,' Vanessa supplied as an answer.

'Brilliant,' Serena mumbled out and turned to Nate. 'What about you?' Nate cast a look at everyone around the table. He stopped at Blair and she gave him a nod.

'Ok. How about I pick you two up at eight?' Nate said to Blair and Serena. They smiled at him.

'Excuse us,' Dan said a moment later and pulled Serena up with him from the table.

'Uh ok,' Serena said shocked and turned back to the table before heading off with Dan. 'See you guys later.' They then swiftly left. Blair stood up a moment later and turned to Nate and Vanessa.

'Nate, see you later,' she paused and looked at Vanessa. 'Don't do anything stupid with Dan,' she said seriously to her. They all stared at her- astonished at that comment. She shrugged and turned to Chuck. She bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

'Good luck.' she then whispered in his ear. Chuck had taken a hold of her hand. She straightened and cocked her head at him and then slipped her hand out of his and turned away and left. Chuck watched Blair walk away and had to stifle the urge to follow her. He wanted to spin her around and kiss her, tangling his hands in her curly hair. He knew tonight would be interesting and that was the only thing keeping him rooted to his seat.

* * *

'Dan, what was that about?' Serena said and tugged him to a stop. He turned to face her.

'You tell me?' he shot back. She was really confused.

'Care to be specific? Or should I go find someone who can read minds?'

'Inviting Nate and getting irritated that Vanessa and I are working-'

'Together AGAIN at NIGHT!' Serena suddenly yelled out and then stopped and took a deep breath. 'Dan, the last time I actually properly saw you was our attempt-at-the-stay-home-and-watch- movies- night, which was interrupted by Vanessa. So sorry, that I'm at irritated that _my boyfriend_ is choosing to spend his night with another girl. Especially one his had a history with.' She stated matter of factly.

'How do you know Vanessa and I have history?' Dan suddenly asked. She scoffed and shook her head at him choosing not to answer his question. Truthfully she only knew they did because Blair had vaguely told her that something had happened between them. What exactly had happened she wasn't sure of.

'And what about inviting Nate?' Serena eventually said and changed the subject.

'You invited the guy out who confessed his feelings for you,' Dan started and folded his arms. 'Doesn't exactly make me feel comfortable.'

'Well, then, you know how I feel.'

'It's different. Vanessa isn't in love with me.' Serena gave a huff and folded her arms.

'Well maybe I'm not worried about Vanessa and I can handle Nate. Not that I need to considering his my _friend_ and is trying again with Vanessa!' Serena yelled this out at Dan and before he could reply she turned around and walked away. She didn't want to be having this conversation with Dan, and she knew the longer she stayed there the more things she would probably say that she would end up regretting.

* * *

Blair got into Nate's car and smiled at him.

'Evening,' she said. Nate started the car.

'Evening,' he replied and began to drive to fetch Serena. Blair cast a look at him.

'You'll be fine tonight right?' she asked him seriously. He quickly glanced at her not sure what she was exactly referring too.

'As long as you don't make me do any shots,' he said in a joking tone. Blair gave a small laugh.

'Just, if your not… tell me.' Nate cast another look at her.

'Are you referring to Serena?' he noticed Blair nodding. 'It'll be fine, Waldorf.' Nate said just as he stopped and Serena opened the door to get in.

* * *

'Dan, what's wrong?' Vanessa asked frustrated. They had been working for about three hours and hadn't gotten any where.

'Nothing-'

'Please, you keep deleting everything you write! Now, what's bugging you?'

'Serena and I had a fight.' He stated and noticed Vanessa standing up.

'Ok, get up,' she said sternly.

'What?'

'We're going to the movies. I know you well enough to know that we wont get anything done in the mood your in.' Dan sighed and stood up. He knew Vanessa was right and wanted the distraction that a movie provided.

* * *

Blair and Serena laughed and Nate stared at them blankly. He shook his head at them.

'I wished I hadn't heard that,' he said seriously and took a sip of his bottle of water. They had been having a really good night. Blair had briefly seen and danced with Chuck but hadn't seen him for awhile after that. However she wasn't really worried about it, she knew he was working on a 'plan' and she already had hers in place. Not to mention she really was having a good night with Nate and Serena. Suddenly Serena expression turned very serious and Nate immediately noticed.

'What's wrong?' he questioned her concerned. She shook her head. Blair focused on her and then noticed she was staring at something. She turned around and followed Serena's gaze and found what she was staring at. Chuck was standing a few feet away with some other girl. Evidently not considering her in a platonic light. Blair turned back to Serena.

'Blair-' Serena began.

'Don't worry,' she said. 'I saw this coming.' She turned back to look at Chuck. Even though she figured Chuck would do something like this to get his point across to her- that she should end it with Chace because she liked him more- it still bothered her seeing him with another girl like that. She wouldn't let him see that though. Just then Chuck looked up and caught her gaze. He then held up his drink and saluted her with it. She turned back to Nate and Serena- who were watching her concerned. She laughed and took out her phone and sent a message. A minute later she got the reply she was waiting for. She got up from the table they were at.

'I'll be back.'

'Wait!' Nate said before she left. 'What are you going to do?'

'Watch.' Blair said and walked away. Chuck watched as Blair made her way over to him. He turned to the girl he was with and asked her to go get them a table, and that he would get them drinks and be there soon. She left quickly. Chuck moved his attention back onto Blair. He couldn't deny that the he liked what he saw. She was in a strapless blue dress that hugged her body perfectly. She stopped in front of him.

'Blair,' he said and took a sip of his drink. Just then Chuck felt her hands move to his tie and begin to straighten it out. He gave her a smirk and raised his eyebrows.

'I just thought, I would help you out,' she said to him and looked him in the eyes. 'After all you want to look your best for that girl.' She let her hands rest on his chest when she was done with his tie. She took a step closer. 'It's too bad that she isn't really the one you want to see naked tonight.' Chuck was suddenly finding it very hard to concentrate. Blair's proximity to him and the words she had just said… but he kept his cool.

'You can't be sure of that?' was his reply which he instantly regretted because it resulted in Blair running her hand down his chest- sending a shiver through his body. She looked at him and then closed the space between them. She pressed her body against his and kissed his neck.

'You can stop this,' she said and pulled back and then looked ahead of him and noticed the person entering the room she had been waiting for and who she had just messaged. 'Oh and your reaction makes me sure of my previous comment.' She smirked at him and moved past him before he even had a chance to collect his thoughts and respond.

Blair walked up to the person and smiled at him. Chuck finally turned around and watched Blair place a hand on Chace's arm. He groaned; she was good. He watched them move around the room and get a drink. A moment later he caught her gaze and shook his head when Blair raised her drink and saluted him.

Serena laughed when she saw Blair raise her drink and salute Chuck. She turned to Nate who was shaking his head.

'Blair, definitely knows how to get under Chuck's skin,' Nate commented and faced Serena.

'That was amazing,' she said to him. A moment later Nate saw Serena's expression turn into one of excitement.

'What?' he asked her worriedly.

'Dance with me?' Nate groaned and she smacked his arm.

'It always surprises and irritates me that you hate dancing but you're so good at it. I'm not taking no for an answer, Archibald.' She stood up and pulled Nate out of his chair. He laughed.

'Fine. But I'm not spinning you,' he said very seriously as he was dragged on to the dance floor.

'You say that now. But I'll change your mind.'

* * *

**A/N: Please review!**


	19. Time to Love

**A/N: As promised here is the chapter! I am drowning in work guys. So the next update will most likely be on Tuesday. **

**Hope you like!**

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep reviewing**!

**Chapter 19: Time to Love  
**

Chuck could not take it anymore. He tried to loosen his grip he had on the table and tuned out the girl who was currently saying something to him. Blair was good; every time he did something to try and get a reaction out of her, she fired something right back at him. He invited two more girls over to his table and then he watched as Blair acknowledged that. Then moved her hand to Chace's neck and touched it in the place which Blair knew actually drove Chuck crazy. He flirted with the girls and had them all over him and Blair simply just moved closer to Chace. It was when Chace looked as if he was about to kiss her that he knew he couldn't watch this anymore. He stood up, excused himself and quickly left to find Nate. He had seen Nate dancing with Serena earlier and wondered if they were still on the dance floor. He looked out across the floor for them and luckily spotted them. He made his way over to them and watched Serena intently staring at Nate and then laugh when he spun her around and pulled her into him. He reached them and put a hand on Nate's shoulder. He stopped dancing and raised his eyebrows at Chuck.

'Chuck, you ok?' he asked him a moment later- he couldn't help but notice how furious he looked.

'Nathaniel, I need you to do me favour and go drag Blair away from Chace.' Chuck stated seriously. Serena knew he definitely wasn't joking but laughed anyway.

'She really got to you, hey?' Chuck chose to ignore her comment.

'Why don't you do it?' Nate asked him a moment later.

'Because if I go over there, I may punch Chace.' Again he said this in such a serious tone, Nate knew he would have to go and get Blair. He sighed.

'Ok. I'll meet you two outside…with Blair.' He said seriously and turned to look at Serena; who gave him a small smile. She squeezed his wrist as he went passed them. Serena and Chuck made their way outside. They stood there silently for a bit.

'What?' Serena eventually asked Chuck who had been staring at her rather intently for the past few minutes.

'You sure you aren't in love with, Archibald?' Serena sighed in frustration and threw her hands in the air.

'I picked Dan!' Chuck's response was to laugh.

'You say that as if it means anything. People break up all the time, S.'

'Chuck, you remember how well it turned out the last time you tried to interfere with Nate and I?' Serena said sarcastically and folded her arms matching Chuck's intense scrutiny of her. He titled his head to the side and nodded.

'Point taken, so I won't interfere this time by _practically_ showing you, what you and Nate are denying,' he paused and put his hands in his pocket and gave her a cheeky smile. 'I'll simply just point out the obvious to you, whenever I can.'

'So let me get this straight, you're going to irritate me into seeing the 'truth' by talking to me?' she asked incredulously.

'As only Chuck Bass can do,' he stated and they both laughed. He then moved over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Serena, you and Archibald have been my friends for years, if anyone knows the two of you... it's me.' She looked at him filled with concern now. Chuck did know them well, but that didn't mean he was right.

'I'm still with Dan.' she stated firmly.

'Yes, but are you with him because you want to be?' Serena looked at Chuck- she really didn't like him right now. He was giving her a lot to think about it.

* * *

Nate cleared his throat. Blair and Chace turned to look at him.

'Nate?'

'Sorry to interrupt,' he said, 'Blair, you need to come with me.' He added a moment later. Hoping she would just stand up. She didn't.

'Kind of in the middle of something, Archibald.' Nate sighed and looked at Chace briefly and then back to Blair. He knew if she told him Chuck was waiting for her she wouldn't go anywhere. So he sighed and looked at her seriously.

'I'm not ok,' he said to her and gave her a pointed nod. She immediately stood up. Nate inwardly groaned- he didn't like lying to Blair.

'Sorry, Chace, I'll be back soon.' Nate put a hand on Blair's arm stopping her from leaving and turned to Chace.

'No, sorry, she won't be back tonight.' He said seriously. Blair sighed and turned to Chace.

'Thanks for tonight.' She said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She then followed Nate out of the party. When they were outside Blair caught up to him.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing,' Nate said and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. 'I just needed you to come outside.'

'What? Nate? Why would-' she immediately stopped talking when she looked ahead and saw Serena and Chuck waiting for her. She turned back to Nate.

'Chuck asked you to get me out here didn't he?' Nate nodded.

'Are you angry?' Blair laughed.

'No, impressed that you knew me well enough to know, that you would have to come up with some other excuse other than, "Chuck is waiting for you" to get me out here.' She finished her sentence just as she came to stop in front of Chuck. Nate laughed. Chuck took a step closer to Blair and sighed with relief. She immediately wanted to close any space there was between her and Chuck but she stood her ground.

'Are we leaving?' Blair suddenly asked the group.

'No!' Serena immediately responded.

'So I can go back inside?' Blair cheekily said and looked at Chuck.

'No. You and I are leaving,' he replied and took another step closer to her.

'Ah Chuck, I'm Blair's lift home,' Nate added a moment later.

'Archibald, I'll make sure she gets back to her dorm.'

'Shouldn't this be my choice?' Blair threw out.

'It should be,' Serena said and stepped to Nate, 'but go with the boy.' She nodded to Blair- which translated into "you won; put him out of his misery already." Blair gave Serena a smile and finally stepped closer to Chuck. He placed a hand on hip and pulled her a bit closer to him.

'Will you two be ok?' Blair asked Nate and Serena seriously. They both nodded. She held Nate's gaze a moment longer and he gave her an extra little nod. Serena and Nate then turned around and walked back into the party. Blair turned to Chuck.

'So where are you taking me?'

'Away from Chace.' He took a hold of her hand and they began to walk to the car. Blair laughed.

'Jealous, Bass?' he looked at her and didn't say anything. Blair smiled. 'This was your game, Chuck.' She added a moment later when they reached the car. He stood in front of her.

'Which you manipulated to get your point across,' Chuck replied and gazed at her seriously.

'So I can date Chace if I want too?' which she really didn't want to. He was sweet but he wasn't Chuck and she wanted him.

'No, I want you to end it with Chace,' he paused and sighed, 'and I'll stop seeing the other girls.' Blair raised her eyebrows.

'And what if you can't, Chuck?'

'Then you have free reign to do whatever is necessary to get back at me.' She laughed and tucked her chin into his shoulder. Chuck began to play with her hair.

'So you were jealous?' She mumbled out a moment later. Chuck laughed and Blair pulled back to look at him. He gave one small nod and then leaned in and kissed her. She took a hold of his tie and pulled him closer into her. She felt her back hit the car door, and Chuck's arm run up her sides. He then began to kiss her neck and Blair moved her hand to the back of his neck.

'Chuck,' she said seriously and he stopped and looked at her. 'We need to stop.' He moaned and she realised she was still holding on to him. She didn't want to stop but knew that they should. She sighed and pulled in for another kiss. She broke it quickly though.

'Let's go do something,' she said

'You're going to drive me crazy,' Chuck said and stepped away and then opened the car door for her. Blair gave him a smirk. He had told her that before and she couldn't help but like the fact, that she still had that ability to affect Chuck, like she had before they had started dating.

* * *

Serena and Nate stepped outside. They had fun for awhile after Chuck and Blair had left but they decided it was time to go back now. Serena sighed once they reached campus. Her thoughts had been on Dan ever since her conversation with Chuck. She turned to Nate.

'Do you think you can stop here? I want to stop by Dan's dorm.' Nate looked at her.

'Sure,' he said softly and pulled the car over. She looked at him before getting out. 'Thanks. Night, Nate.'

'Night, Van der Woodsen.' Serena gave him a smile and stepped out the car. She walked over to Dan's dorm room. She took a deep breath when she reached it and knocked on the door. No reply came. She knocked again. Still no reply. She took out her phone and dialed his number- he didn't pick up. She sighed this time in frustration and walked away. She didn't see how him and Vanessa could still be working. She put the thought out of her mind and made her way to her dorm. She got ready for bed.

* * *

Blair reached her dorm room and turned to Chuck they had gone out and done random things after they left the party.

'So tomorrow?' Chuck asked her and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and running his hand down her arm- which sent shivers through her body.

'Yes, tomorrow I will tell Chace I can't see him anymore,' she laughed and gave Chuck a peck on the lips. Chuck stepped back.

'See you tomorrow.' He said and turned and left. Blair shook her head and then smiled. She entered her room and immediately got ready for bed and fell a sleep rather quickly.

* * *

Serena had tried to fall a sleep but was still wide awake an hour later. She eventually decided to get out of bed. She threw on some jeans and top. She was just going to take a walk. She walked across the quad and noticed a figure lying on a bench. She walked over to it and stared down at Nate. Nate squinted at the figure above him.

'Serena?' he questioned and sat up. 'What are you doing out here?'

'I couldn't sleep,' she said and sat down next to him. She was relieved that he was still up. 'What about you?'

'I went to see Vanessa awhile back,' he paused and looked at her debating whether to continue, 'she wasn't in her room. So I landed out here for some reason.' Nate noticed her forehead furrow. 'What is it?' he asked a moment later.

'Dan wasn't in his room either.'

'Oh,' he moved a bit closer to her, Serena looked at him and Nate could tell that this sudden development really bothered her. 'I'm sure they've just gone to the library or to get coffee or something. Dan wouldn't do anything stupid.' Serena scoffed.

'You sound positive about that?' she questioned him. He gave her a small smile.

'I am,' he then stood up. 'Come on let's go to Sunrise Spot.' Serena took a hold of his hand and smiled. That was exactly where she felt like being- she knew it would make her feel better.

* * *

Blair sat across from Chace and apologised once more. He really wasn't taken the news well.

'Seriously Chuck? Chuck Bass?' he asked once more incredulously. Blair sighed- she was now irritated.

'Yes, again, sorry, you're sweet but…' she faded out. Chace broke the intense gaze he had been given Blair and stood up.

'This doesn't end here,' he paused, 'you will regret this, Blair.' She shook her head and watched him walk away. It had been a long day. She sighed relieved when Serena and Nate sat down in front of her a moment later.

'What was that about?' Nate questioned.

'Ended it with Chace.' Blair noticed Serena watching Chace walk away. 'He said I'd regret it.' Blair continued. Serena turned back to her. She was about to say something when Vanessa and Dan suddenly appeared.

'Serena! I've been looking for you all day,' Dan said and sat down next to her.

'Well, here I am,' she said sarcastically and turned back to a confused Blair. She shot a look at Nate who simply raised his eyebrows and shook his head. 'What is Chace's surname?' she asked suddenly. Blair turned her attention to her.

'Uh, Sparks. Why?' Serena and Nate suddenly shot each other looks.

'As in the brother of Georgina Sparks?' Nate suddenly joined the conversation.

'Will you two just get to the point?' It was Vanessa who spoke up and not Blair.

'She has a habit of looking out for her brother,' Serena looked at Blair seriously. 'She could rival you or Chuck. How did you not know about her?' Blair gave a small chuckle.

'It may shock you,' she paused and folded her arms. 'But I haven't pissed everyone off in this world that could possibly rival me. I'll be fine.'

'Look if anything happens, you'll come to us?' Serena added. Blair nodded.

'Now what's going on here?' she asked Dan and Serena.

'I would like to know that as well,' Dan chimed in. Serena turned to him livid.

'Well, Dan, would you like to tell me where you and Vanessa were at about two this morning?' Dan raised his eyebrows.

'Serena-'

'You didn't!' Blair suddenly yelled out in Dan's direction. He looked at her. 'Tell me you didn't? Because if you did… you and I are going to have some problems.'

'Excuse-' Vanessa began.

'Shut up, Vanessa!' Blair said harshly. 'You forget that I was there when you and Dan were together. I saw the fall out.' She turned back to Dan. 'So tell me you didn't?' Dan looked at Blair and then at Serena seriously.

'I didn't do anything! Thanks for the vote of confidence, Blair.' Serena watched the two interact.

'Its not you I don't trust,' she turned to Nate before she finished her sentence. 'Sorry.' She said to him and then turned back to Dan. 'Its Vanessa I don't trust.' She turned to Serena and added the following:

'Nothing happened, S, I would know if he was lying.' She stood up. 'Good luck sorting this out guys.' With that Blair left them all. She looked back once and saw Serena and Dan leaving the table. Leaving Nate and Vanessa in a very intense staring match. All her lectures were over for the day and she knew Chuck's had ended awhile ago. So she made her way over to his dorm room. She reached it and knocked on the door. A moment later the door swung open. Chuck smiled when he saw her and kissed her on the cheek. He moved aside and she entered into his room. Blair sighed and sat down on his couch. Chuck sat next to her.

'You spoke to Chace?' she nodded and removed her shoes. She then moved closer to Chuck and curled her feet under her. Chuck wrapped an arm around her. She leaned her head just under his collar bone. 'How did it go?'

'He didn't take it to well.' She sighed and closed her eyes. 'I think our friends have a love square going on.' She said a moment later and pulled away from Chuck and looked at him. 'Someone's going to get hurt Chuck,' she said softly.

'Blair, that really isn't your concern-'

'Yes it is Chuck, I don't think Dan and Nate are both going to be happy once they sort their stuff out. So do I watch my one friend get his happy ending and not my other? Do I warn them if I know something? And Serena-' Chuck placed a hand on her cheek and she stopped talking.

'They're my friends too, Blair,' he paused and pulled her back into this arms. 'Let them sort this out and we'll do what we need to do if it's necessary for us to intervene.' She sighed again and rested her head back on his chest. Chuck began to trace patterns on her back. She smiled and closed her eyes once again. Chuck was right she shouldn't worry about them now. She just wanted to enjoy this afternoon with Chuck and as much time with him –that was drama free- as she could.

* * *

**A/N: Review! Hope you liked it! Also if I manage to stick to my plan this story should have a total of 30 chapters.**


	20. A Moment Alone Together

**A/N: I know this took a very long time to get up. Sorry. I have had the worst few weeks these past few weeks. Exams. Essay. Drama. All rolled into one. So I put the writing off. However I finally got this done. Please note just in case, there is nothing to explicit in this chapter. You will see what I mean. **

**Just some quick things about the previous reviews. Georgina and Chuck have not slept together. They have no history in this story unlike in the show. Georgina will be featuring :) that's all I'm saying.**

**Also this story only has about 10 to 11 chapters left. There will be lots of drama in the upcoming chapter and I want to try and get this story completed by Christmas time. Also I have another idea for a Gossip Girl story which I can not get out of my head. Enough of this though!  
**

**Please keep reviewing they keep me writing. And thank you to all who review!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 20: A moment Alone Together **

Blair almost didn't notice the figure sitting on the bench with his head in his hand. She made her way over and sat down next to Dan. She placed a hand on his back to let him know someone was there. He sat up immediately and looked at Blair. He then put his head back in his hands.

'Humphrey, why are you sulking?' she asked a moment later. He looked back up at her.

'That was very sensitive of you, Blair,' he replied. She cocked her head at him and he sighed, 'let's forget I ever said that.' He added a moment later once he realised what he had said. Blair gave a small laugh.

'Done. Seriously, though what is wrong?'

'Serena... I think I'm losing her.' Blair shifted uncomfortably remembering what happened the other day.

'So fight for her,' she stated a moment later. 'Show her you care.'

'It's not that easy.'

'What's complicated about it?' Dan held Blair's gaze.

'Vanessa.' Blair moaned.

'I would really like to slap that girl.' She stated angrily. Dan couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

'Calm down, Waldorf, let me explain. What I mean is that Serena doesn't believe that there isn't anything going on with me and Vanessa.' She sighed and put a hand on Dan's knee.

'Then we'll just have to find a way to make her believe.' Dan stared at her and then gave her a small nod- grateful that Blair was his friend. They both sat there on the bench for awhile longer.

* * *

Nate sat down and began to stare at Chuck rather intently.

'Archibald, are you going to say something or keep staring at me?'

'You kind of owe me one, after that night I got Blair away from Chace for you.'

'Where is this going?' Chuck said slightly amused. He didn't need to owe Nate one to help him with something. He would do it regardless.

'I need you to help me do something for Vanessa...' he trailed off and waited for Chuck to respond.

'Ok. Something like what?' The two continued to talk for a further forty five minutes until Chuck left to go and get ready. He was meeting Blair in about an hour's time. They were going to the club slash restaurant which was technically Chuck's creation. He got ready and made his way over to Blair's dorm. He knocked on the door and waited. A minute later Blair opened it and smiled at him. Chuck barely got to take in the red dress she was wearing, when he felt her grab his tie and pull him into a kiss. She ran her hands through his hair and down his neck. He was finding it hard to concentrate. He took in the moment and let his hands trail across Blair's body. She moaned and then pulled away.

'Hi,' she said and smiled at him. Chuck grinned at her and placed his one hand against the wall- ensuring that she couldn't escape from him just then. He leaned in and kissed her again.

'Hi,' he mumbled against her lips. He pulled back and looked at her. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek. 'This was some hello.' He added a moment later. Blair sighed happily and felt Chuck take her hand.

'Should we get going?' she asked him a moment later. He gave a small nod and placed a kiss on her forehead before leading her out the door.

* * *

Serena looked at her phone and almost threw it across the room. For the past hour she had been getting calls or messages nearly every five minutes. She just wanted to be left alone. She checked to see who was calling and immediately sent the call to voice mail. She got up and grabbed her bag. She was just going to get a cup of coffee and then come back and finish off her work. That was all she felt like doing tonight and she was determined to make sure that happened. She left her room and made her way to the on campus coffee shop. There weren't many people around campus however, the coffee shop was full. She walked in and joined the line to place an order. She had been there for five minutes when she noticed two figures sitting down at table. She was tempted to turn around and walk out, but she figured they probably wouldn't notice her. She watched them for a bit – they did not look happy. She finally reached the front and placed her order. She then moved to the side to wait for it. She almost reached for her phone (so it would seem as though she was busy) when she realised she had left it in her dorm. She looked back at the counter hoping her order would be ready, when she heard her name being yelled out. She groaned and tried to pretend she hadn't heard it. Except, she had instinctively looked over at the person who had called out for her. She inwardly groaned and walked over to the table which seated a very tense looking Nate and Vanessa.

'Hi,' she said when she reached them.

'You want to sit down?' Nate asked her. She shook her head.

'I'm just waiting on an order,' she pointed back towards the counter. 'So I'll see you guys around then.' She added a moment later and turned to leave.

'Serena!' Serena turned back and plastered on a fake smile.

'Yes, Vanessa?'

'Dan has been trying to get a hold of you,' Vanessa gave her a curious look. Serena kept her face neutral and just stared at her. She eventually realised she would have to reply.

'I don't have my phone with me,' she stated and looked over at Nate who had his head in his hands.

'Well, he asked me if I've seen you and considering I now have, maybe you and I should go find him?' Vanessa stated seriously. Serena bit back the reply that had jumped in to her head at the suggestion.

'Vanessa-' Nate began in a pleading voice, she turned to him and quickly cut him off.

'I now you want me off your hands, Nate, Serena here-' That was the last straw for Serena when she saw how crushed Nate looked.

'Vanessa,' she interrupted firmly, 'how about I take Nate off your hands? His actually my friend and I'm sure my boyfriend would rather see you, without me being there, anyway.' She looked over at Nate and grabbed his hand. He was too shocked to protest against Serena dragging him away. She shot one last look at Vanessa and walked over to the counter- dragging Nate with her- got her coffee and swiftly left the coffee shop. They had been walking for a few minutes when Nate finally managed to gather his thoughts.

'That was...' he began and laughed at the look Serena shot him. She was evidently irritated. He continued a moment later. 'That was something.' He shook his head and gave a small laugh. 'Where did that come from?' Serena sighed and stopped walking. She turned to him.

'Look, I'm sorry she just irritated me and then that comment...and then I saw you... and sorry the words just came-'

'Serena!' Nate yelled out and she immediately stopped talking. 'Why are you apologising? That was kind of hot.' Serena laughed. She knew Nate had just said that to try and make her feel a bit better about going off at Vanessa.

'Anyway, what is going on with you two?' Nate shrugged his reply and they resumed walking. 'You still want to date her?' Serena asked and noticed Nate stop walking and again shrug and then nod. 'You were always a man of many words.' Serena added a moment later and grabbed Nate's arm. 'Come on, this coffee is terrible and I actually want a proper cup of coffee.' She threw her cup away and they left to go to another coffee shop. Serena also knew that this would help Nate talk about what was going on in his head.

* * *

Blair laughed and smacked Chuck lightly. He grinned and spun her out and then in towards him. They were busy dancing in the club. They really were having a good time- they had been dancing, laughing and couldn't keep their hands off each other. Just then Blair noticed the lights in the club change and that the music had changed as well. She looked at Chuck and then at the stage in the club. She turned around to look at what was going on. A moment later she felt Chuck wrap his arms around her waist, she leaned into him.

'What's going on?' she asked him.

'It's a competition, keeps the crowd interested,' Chuck said and then kissed her neck.

'What's the prize?' Blair asked. She was trying hard to concentrate on the stage and not on Chuck's lips on her neck.

'Bottle of champagne,' he mumbled. A smile spread across her lips. She turned around in Chuck's arm.

'I'm going to go win us that bottle,' she placed a small kiss on his lips. She tried to step away but Chuck held her in place.

'Waldorf, I can just buy us a bottle,' Chuck said reluctant to let her go. She gave a small laugh.

'It's more fun this way.' Blair stated and moved out of Chuck's grasp. She began to walk to the stage. Looking back only once and giving Chuck a cheeky smile. Chuck watched her walk on stage and grab the attention of everyone in the club. In moments she had eliminated the competition and much to Chuck's annoyance had captured every guy's interest in the club. Chuck could not believe it. He watched them hand her the bottle of Champagne, she took it, and caught his gaze smiling at him. She walked off the stage and made her way through the crowd. Straight towards him. Chuck immediately wrapped an arm her waist, when she was close enough to him, showing the guys who were still watching her that they needed to back off. He then pulled her in for a kiss; she immediately responded and wrapped her free hand around his neck. Chuck pulled her closer and ran a hand up her back. He felt Blair shiver at the contact and felt his own body begin to tingle when she moved her hand from his neck to his collar bone. Blair wasn't concentrating on anything else but this moment. It was only when she felt the bottle of Champagne slipping from her hand, did she realise they will still in the club. She pulled away.

'You are incredible,' Chuck said to her. Blair laughed.

'Come on Bass, let's get out of here.' She took a hold of his hand and they left the club together.

* * *

'So that's it?' Serena asked Nate incredulously. He nodded and scrunched his eyebrows together.

'You really aren't worried that Vanessa and Dan may be having a thing? The biggest issue between the two of you is that she doesn't trust you, because you failed to tell her about the feelings you had for me?' Serena quickly summarised what Nate had been telling her. 'Seriously?' Nate laughed.

'Seriously, Serena,' he said and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, 'I do not think Dan is a problem or that they're having something.' Serena stood up from the bench they had been sitting on and began to walk towards her dorm room. Nate followed.

'Well, I do,' she stated seriously. Nate put a hand and stopped her from entering the building her room was in.

'Dan isn't an idiot. He isn't going to give you up, Serena.' She scoffed. Nate gave her a smirk and placed a kiss on her cheek. 'Trust me, Van Der Woodsen.' She again scoffed at him.

'See you around, Archibald.' she said softly and entered the building heading up to her dorm. They had gone for coffee, a walk and had finally discussed Nate and Vanessa. She had she told him she needed to get back to her work and Nate was fine with that, he told her he would talk to her about it more at a later stage. Serena entered her room and checked her phone. She had quite a few miss calls from Dan. She sighed and sat down on the couch and tried to clear her head, which was suddenly filled with more confusing thoughts than which had originally been there.

* * *

Chuck and Blair made their way back to campus. They still hadn't opened the bottle of champagne.

'What now, Waldorf?' Chuck asked. She looked at him and took a step towards him.

'I do believe we have a bottle of alcohol to drink?' she held it up. He laughed and took another step towards her.

'Where would you like to drink that?' he asked her. Blair considered this for a moment.

'We're closer to your room.' She added a moment later. He took another step towards her.

'I don't know if that's such a good idea...' he trailed off as Blair took a step closer to him.

'You're generally not the best judge when it comes to deciding which ideas are good or bad, Bass,' she said and he took a step closer to her giving her a giving her a smirk. Blair leaned up and placed a small kiss on his lips. Chuck pulled back and took her hand. He then took the bottle out of her other hand and opened it.

'We might as well start drinking now then,' he took a sip of the bottle and gave it to Blair who also took a sip. She laughed and they made their way over to Chuck's room. He opened the door and let Blair go in. She entered and put the bottle down on a table. They hadn't drunk anymore than the sip they each had earlier taken from the bottle. Chuck walked over to Blair and watched her look around his room and then finally look at him. He was about to say something when she walked over to him and grabbed his tie pulling him towards her. He immediately let her and pulled her into a kiss. The kiss was intense- alot more intense than any of their others had been. Chuck realised this and pulled away.

'Should I pour you a glass of-' he began as an attempt to bring the intensity down a level.

'No,' she said and held his gaze.

'Blair...'he said softly. She didn't break the eye contact and instead placed a small kiss on his lips. She then pulled back and tried to gage his reaction. A moment later she kissed him again and he deepened the kiss. Blair slipped a hand under his shirt. Loving the feel of his skin. She felt him move a hand up the side of her body and then move to the back of her dress. He unzipped her dress and then trailed his fingers across the now exposed skin. It set her skin on fire. Chuck broke the kiss and placed a kiss on her neck before looking at her. 'Are you sure?' he asked her softly. She nodded and began to remove his tie and unbutton his shirt. Chuck fully unzipped Blair's dress and it fell to the floor just as she removed his shirt and dropped it to the floor. Chuck captured her lips once more, Blair let her hands run across his exposed chest and fully take in the feel of him. He moved his hand up and down her back and then tangled the one in her hair. They were both getting completely lost in the moment and each other.

* * *

Chuck woke up, it took him a moment to gather his senses. A second later the memories of the night before came back to him and he smiled. He looked to his side and saw Blair still fast asleep, with her head resting on his one arm. He shifted and slightly moved her so he could wrap his arms around her. She automatically adjusted to the movement and placed her head on his chest. Chuck began to stroke her hair and continued to let her sleep. He was drifting back to sleep when he heard a knocking at the door. He groaned inwardly and decided not to answer it- he assumed the person would eventually get the hint. The knocking however continued on and it got louder. He felt Blair begin to stir. She finally groaned.

'Make it stop,' she mumbled out. Chuck laughed at the response.

'I need to get out of the bed then.' he added a moment later. He felt Blair sigh and move off him. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. A minute later he went and opened his door.

'That took you a long time!'

'Archibald, what are you doing here this early?' Chuck asked slightly irritated.

'I have an idea-'

'Nate, can we do this later?'

'No,' Nate stated and moved into the room. He made his way over to the couch and Chuck followed.

'Archibald, this really isn't a good time.' Nate raised his eyebrows looking at him for an explanation. Chuck didn't say anything. 'If you don't tell me why it's a bad time, I'm not leaving.' Just then Blair emerged from the bedroom in a shirt of Chuck's.

'Morning, Nate,' she said. Nate looked at her and then back at Chuck. He grinned at him.

'Right, sorry, I'll see you at lunch then, Chuck.' Nate said and stood up he turned to Blair quickly. 'Morning, Waldorf and goodbye.' Nate swiftly left the room. Chuck shook his head and walked over to Blair. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

'You didn't have to come out,' he said and kissed her neck. Blair began playing with his hair.

'He wouldn't have left, if I hadn't come out.' She then lifted his head from her neck and placed a small kiss on his lips. Chuck hands went under the shirt he was wearing and he took in the feel of her skin. She moaned and broke the kiss dragging him back to the bedroom.

* * *

Serena woke up and looked at her phone. She then heard a knocking at her door and made her way over to it. She opened the door and stood there... shocked.

'Dan?' she asked when he didn't say anything. He walked into the room.

'Serena, what's going on with you? You haven't returned any of my calls?'

'I've been busy,' she said firmly and folded her arms.

'Serena, please don't do this,' Dan said and walked over to her. He placed his hand on her arm. 'I miss you.' He said and then kissed her forehead. Serena closed her eyes and savoured the moment. She did miss Dan as well but still need to get her thoughts ordered before she decided anything.

'Dan, can we talk about this later?' she asked and then softly kissed him. 'I have to get ready.' With that she left to go have a shower.

* * *

Blair's lectures were finally over for the day. She was going to meet Chuck at the on campus coffee shop. She found him sitting at a table with a coffee already there for her. He smiled at her and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

'So I was thinking tonight-' Chuck had begun but was interrupted when Blair's phone went off.

'Sorry, its Dan give me a minute,' she said to Chuck and then answered her phone. 'Hey Dan. I'm at the coffee shop. Dan?' She looked at Chuck and then ended the call. 'Dan's on his way here.' Chuck sighed irritated. He was dying to have a moment alone with Blair. Two minutes later Dan sat down at their table. He looked between the two.

'Blair, I need to steal you away.' Was the first thing Dan said.

'For how long?' Chuck suddenly asked.

'The rest of the day.' Dan said and grabbed her hand. 'Please.' Blair sighed and stood up with Dan.

'Sorry,' she said to Chuck and gave him a peck on the lips. Dan and Blair left the coffee shop.

'What's wrong, Dan?'

'I really need you to help me with, Serena.' He said and they began to walk to his dorm to think of an idea to show Serena how much Dan cared.

* * *

It was two days later and Chuck was beyond irritated. For the past two days every moment he had, had alone with Blair had been interrupted by either Dan or Nate. At one stage even Serena had added to the interruptions. Even their breakfast this morning had been interrupted. He was now sitting in his lecture wishing he could rather see her, when he looked up and noticed a figure entering into the room. A smile immediately spread across his lips. He watched Blair walk over to the lecturer and a bit of confusion began to set in.

'Sir,' he heard Blair begin. 'Sorry for the interruption but there has been an emergency and Chuck Bass is needed.' She looked at the lecturer and dropped her gaze and then looked back up at the lecturer. 'It's bad.' She added softly a moment later. The lecturer then caught Chuck's gaze.

'Chuck, you should go.' Chuck immediately stood up and grabbed his things. He walked over to Blair and then walked out with her.

'What's going on?' he asked worriedly when outside. She looked at him and smiled.

'Nothing,' she intertwined her hand with his, 'I made up an excuse to get you out. I didn't want to tell you because I needed you to look genuinely concerned.' Blair then stopped in front of a door. She opened it and pulled Chuck into the empty class room. 'I just want a moment alone with you.' She said. He then watched her lock the door. Chuck laughed and moved to Blair who was now sitting on top of a table. He immediately pulled her into a kiss and she wrapped her legs around his waist pulling her closer.

'So much better than a lecture.' Chuck mumbled against her lips. He could feel a smile spreading across her lips. He was suddenly grateful that he had found Blair. She constantly kept surprising him in a way no one else ever had before.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted a chapter to show that Chuck and Blair's relationship had progressed, because lets be honest sex has always been a vital part in their relationship. The drama is coming guys, so enjoy these fluffy moments. You have been warned :). Please review!**


	21. What Is He Doing

**A/N: I wanted to upload this yesterday but didn't get the chance. Anyway here it is. Sorry I've taken so long to update. I went away. Also I will have the next chapter up on Tuesday :) Also this is slightly a filler chapter but without this chapter this story wouldn't be going anywhere. So bear with me. Its all drama from here on out. Merry belated xmas to everyone! Hope you all enjoyed it. **

**To all who review thank you! Please keep reviewing! **

**Chapter 21: What Is He Doing **

'Let it ring,' Chuck said against Blair's neck and continued kissing it. She moaned and then sighed.

'Bass, we have to get out of bed anyway.' Was Blair's reply which she did not want to utter but knew she had to. Chuck stopped kissing her and rolled to his side of the bed. He ran a hand- frustrated- through his hair. Blair moved and got her phone. She knew it would be Dan calling her and immediately answered.

'Hey Dan-' she began but was unable to finish her sentence when Chuck grabbed her phone out of her hand. He held up a finger to Blair which she smacked.

'Humphrey, don't you have a girlfriend?' Chuck paused waiting for the reply. 'Wait, sorry, say that again.' Blair gave Chuck an inquisitive look. 'That's why you've been taking up all of Blair's time and forcing us to…' he trailed off when he saw the look on Blair's face. She then moved and sat on top of Chuck and held out her hand for her phone. He raised an eyebrow at her. 'I have a solution for this. Meet us in an hour's time.' He then ended the call and threw her phone aside. He placed his hands on her hips.

'Explain,' she said simply trying to focus on what had just happened.

'You'll understand in an hour's time,' he replied and gave her a smirk. 'Now how should we pass that hour?' Blair smiled at him and leaned down and began to kiss him. She kissed him passionately and left kisses along his jaw and then down his neck. She got to his collar bone and stopped and looked up at him.

'I should shower,' she got up off him and turned back, 'after all if you're going to keep me in the dark about that conversation, then I'm going to keep you guessing with what I was going to do, to you next.' Chuck sighed exasperated and watched her walk to the shower.

'You are difficult!' he yelled after her.

* * *

Serena walked out of her room and almost walked straight back into it when she saw who was in the corridor. She didn't however and closed the door behind her. She quietly made her way to where Georgina was huddled in a corner. Serena slowed down when she reached her just enough to realize that Georgina was upset. She couldn't really hear anything she was saying except for one word a name…Chris. She continued to walk on and didn't look back. She made her way to the campus coffee shop and grabbed a cup of coffee. She then headed off to a quick a meeting and was then going to meet up with Blair for a bit. She was walking towards the building the meeting was in, when a few people approached her. They were trying to get people to sign up for this scavenger hunt. The goal was to try and raise money for some organization and at the end of the hunt; if your group was successful they revealed to you the location of what was supposed to be the "party of the year" according to the one guy. Serena stood for awhile contemplating what she should do about this sudden offer.

* * *

Chuck and Blair walked into the room. Blair went over and gave Dan a kiss on the cheek.

'Do you know what this is about?' Dan asked her.

'No,' she said and walked back a bit towards Chuck, 'and trust me I did try to find out.' Chuck laughed and sat down.

'Patience is not a strong point for you two.' He then took out his phone and sent a message. Blair scoffed.

'Advocating for patience now are we?' She walked over to Chuck and leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. 'Your actions in the bedroom say otherwise.' She pulled back and gave him a cheeky smile.

'Do I want to know what that was about?' Dan asked and then shook his head. 'What am I talking about, of course I don't!' Just then someone else walked in to the room.

'Nathaniel, just on time.' Blair looked from Chuck to Nate and then shrugged. She walked over to Nate and gave him a kiss on the cheek to say hello. Dan simply just nodded his head.

'You have been hard to get a hold of, Blair,' Nate said to her and gave her a small nudge. 'Chuck did say that if I took up any of your free time these days he would-'

'Not why you are here, Archibald,' Chuck interrupted him and Blair laughed.

'Yes, why am I here?' Everyone's attention turned to Chuck. He gave them all a smile and then began to explain why he had gathered them all together.

'It has come to my attention that the reason Dan has been taking up a lot of Blair's time is because she's helping him put together something for Serena,' he paused and looked at Nate and then Dan, 'and I've been helping Nate put together something for Vanessa.' He paused and caught Blair's gaze. She cocked her head at him. He stood up and walked towards her wrapping his arm around her waist. 'So the way I see it, Nate you're a total expert on Serena and Dan you know Vanessa… so you two can help each other out and Blair and I can well…' he trailed off and he kissed her neck. Blair laughed.

'Good luck boys.' She said towards Nate and Dan and swiftly left with Chuck. To be truthfully honest Blair was grateful she didn't have to help anymore. In a few days time it was up to Dan to show Serena how much he cared about her and she knew tensions would be high for the next few days. She didn't want to be around all the tension all she wanted was to be with Chuck.

* * *

Serena checked her phone she was a bit early but as she looked up she saw Blair walking towards her.

'Hey S,' Blair said once she reached her.

'Hey B,' Serena replied and then handed her an envelope. 'Something for you and Chuck before we go shopping.' Blair opened the envelope and took out an invitation for the scavenger hunt. Serena told Blair everything she had been told and informed her that she had signed the whole group up. The hunt Blair noticed was in about a week and half's to two weeks time. She smiled at Serena. 'This should be fun.'

'I'm so glad I found you, Nate and Chuck hate doing stuff like this!' Serena laughed and the two went off shopping.

* * *

**Three days later**

Nate sighed and finally knocked on Dan's door. He was irritated that Chuck had left him with Dan but had to admit that he would know what to do for Vanessa. A second later the door opened and Dan silently stepped aside. Nate entered. They then proceeded to stare at each other.

'So,' Dan began, 'What do you say we skip the bonding and just get straight to the point?'

'Sounds like a plan.' Nate replied and sat down and Dan began telling him the idea he had for Serena.

* * *

Blair sat down at the coffee table and checked her phone. She was actually ten minutes late. Yet Chuck wasn't there yet. She waited another ten minutes and then ordered a coffee to go. She walked out and dialed his number. It just rang and finally went to voice mail.

'Chuck,' she said and then paused, 'this time you didn't even call and cancel.' She shut her phone and then switched it off. She took a sip of her coffee and looked up and down the street she was on. She sighed and got a taxi to go back to campus. She hadn't seen Chuck since the day he had set Dan and Nate up to work together. They had made plans that night- which he had cancelled due to an unexpected meeting he had to have with his father. Blair had no idea what was going on but she was determined to find out.

She finally reached campus and went directly to his dorm room. She knocked and waited. She knocked again. No one came to the door. She turned to leave and saw Nate watching her. He was leaning against a wall and had his arms folded- he looked confused. She walked towards him.

'Spill, Archibald,' Blair said seriously.

'I'm just curious as to who you thought was going to answer the door?' It was Blair's turn to look confused.

'You know that's Chuck room right?' she questioned.

'Yes, but you know his out of town with his dad. So again who did you think was going to answer the…' Nate suddenly trailed off when he noticed Blair's expression. He raised his eyebrows. 'Blair?' He asked uncertainly and she looked up at him. 'He didn't tell you he was heading out of town?'

'He must have left me a message, I didn't get.' Blair gave Nate a half smile. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they began walking away.

'He'll be back in a few days,' Nate said to her and squeezed her shoulder, 'I'll kick his ass for you then.' Blair laughed.

'And spoil my fun, Nate, I don't think so.' Blair suddenly began to pay attention to where Nate was walking her too. 'Where are we going?'

'To Dan's,' was his sheepish reply. 'Please. I could use you there.' Blair shrugged and continued to walk to Dan's, after all it wasn't like she had anything better to do at the moment.

* * *

** Two Days Later**

Dan gave Serena a kiss on the cheek and stood up. They had spent the afternoon together and it had gone rather well.

'I have to go,' he said and she stood up as well. 'Have to meet Nate and Blair.' Serena raised her eyebrows and shook her head- she knew better than to question him on what they we're doing. She had tried and had gotten nowhere.

'I'm not going to ask…' she trailed off and then looked at him seriously. 'Has Blair heard anything from Chuck yet?' Dan shook his head. 'Has she tried calling?'

'She misses him, Serena, and she is furious,' he paused, 'which means in Blair Waldorf's world she's done with Chuck.'

'What?' Serena exclaimed.

'For now.' Dan quickly added. He gave her another kiss goodbye and turned to leave.

'Wait!' Serena yelled and Dan turned back around. She handed him two envelopes. He already knew they were invitations to the scavenger hunt thing. Serena had already given him his. He took them from her. 'For Nate and Vanessa.' she added.

'You really dragged us all in to this.' he shook his head and she laughed.

'It'll be fun.'

'Yeah, all of us together attempting to work as a team… sounds super fun.' Dan sarcastically said.

'It should be, especially if we're all as positive about it as you are.' Serena shot back and then laughed. 'Go. You're going to be late.' She added a moment later.

* * *

Blair checked her phone again. Still nothing from Chuck. She looked up at Nate and then at Dan. They we're having the same argument again. In three days time the special evenings they planned for Serena and Vanessa would happen. They had picked to do it then because both Serena and Vanessa would be done with their tests and assignments for awhile. They had also decided to do it on the same night, as apparently that would prevent either of them from sabotaging the other.

'Dan, you aren't listening to me,' Nate irritably snapped, 'we have been over this. Stop trying to add in these lavish ideas. Serena does lavish all the time. Simple, romantic, fun that's what will win her over.'

'But-'

'No!'

'Fine.' Dan gave up and looked over at Blair for help. She just stayed silent. Suddenly Nate's phone went off. He took it out and saw who was calling. He looked over at Blair and from the look on his face; she immediately knew it was Chuck. She stood up.

'I'll see you boys tomorrow,' she said and before they could say anything she gathered her stuff together. As she was leaving she heard Nate answer the phone.

'Chuck, what the hell are you doing…' is all she heard. Those same words had been running through her head non-stop for days.

* * *

**Three Days Later**

Blair sat down on her couch and opened her book. It was the night of the special evenings for Serena and Vanessa. Blair was nervous for the boys and had told them she would keep her phone with her in case they needed anything. She assumed it was going well for both of them as two hours ago was when the evening had started for both of them. It was now ten and she figured if nothing had gone wrong up until now then nothing would go wrong. It was half past ten when her phone began to ring. She checked the caller i.d. it was Nate.

'Nate? What happened? What do you need?' She quickly rushed out.

'Nothing. Everything's going as planned. I just needed to get something from my room…' Nate trailed off and Blair heard him sigh.

'Nate? What is it?' she waited a moment and then he began to explain why he was calling. When he stopped talking it took Blair a moment to realize she was still on the phone with him. 'I'm sorry…Nate…you're going to have to repeat that.'

* * *

**A/N: Please review! Tuesday the next chapter will be up. **


	22. Don't Let Me Go

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! Please keep reviewing! Hope you like this. **

**Chapter 22: Don't Let Me Go **

'_Nate? What is it?' she waited a moment and then he began to explain why he was calling. When he stopped talking it took Blair a moment to realize she was still on the phone with him. 'I'm sorry…Nate…you're going to have to repeat that.' _

Blair ended the call and stared at her phone for a few moments. She sat forward on the couch and then began putting her shoes on. She stood up and walked to the door- her head was still processing everything Nate had just rushed out at her. She walked across campus, in to the building Nate was at, up the stairs and finally stopped outside of Chuck's room. She looked at Nate and then at Chuck's door. She finally managed to get her thoughts together.

'So let me get this straight…' she began and folded her arms. Nate could see that she was furious. 'Chuck has been back for two days! And you're worried about him and so you call me out here to what? See if his alright?' Blair couldn't quite believe it when Nate had told her that Chuck had been back for two days. She thought he would have at least contacted her once he was back on campus. Apparently she was wrong. Nate had then told her- in a very commanding voice- that she needed to meet him outside Chuck's room. So here she was. 'What exactly makes you think he isn't alright?' Nate sighed.

'He hasn't left his room since his been back and when I walked past here, on my way to my room, he had someone deliver a bottle of whiskey to his room.' Nate finished and tried to give Blair a pleading look. She didn't know whether to be angrier at the fact that Chuck hadn't contacted her or that Nate had only told her now that he was back.

'He doesn't want to see me, Nate. If he did I would have known he was back on campus.'

'Blair, you're probably the only person he wants to see. He'll just never admit it or reach out-' Blair held up a hand to stop Nate from talking and took out her phone. She quickly answered it.

'Serena?' Blair flinched when she heard Serena's angry voice. 'Calm down. I'm outside Chuck's room…' Blair trailed off and looked at her phone. Serena had ended the call.

'What was that about?' Nate quickly asked. When Blair had told Serena to calm down every nerve in his body had tensed up.

'I don't know, Nate,' she paused and took in his concerned expression. 'I'll try calling her back.' She had just dialed Serena's number when she saw her and Dan walking down the corridor. A few moments later Dan and Serena we're standing beside Nate.

'What are you doing here?' Dan asked Nate and Blair. Nate shot him an irritated look.

'We'll get to that. What's going on?' Nate asked Serena- who he noted looked worried and angry.

'It's Eric-'

'Who's Eric?' Blair asked.

'Serena's brother.' Nate quickly rushed out.

'The attacks have gotten worst. It's all out war.' Serena said and Nate seemed to be the only one who understood what she meant. 'I need your help.' Serena then added and directed her statement towards Blair.

'I'm sorry, wait, please…what?' Eventually Blair mumbled out. She kept glancing at Chuck's door- expecting him to come out and see what all this commotion was. He didn't though.

'School problems. You know how it is the "queen" of his school has it out for him. It's gotten bad, Blair. You surely know what its like.' Blair gave a short laugh- she did know what that was like and she understood why Serena would want her help to sort this out. 'I'm going out tonight to see him. Help him out. Please, B.' Blair looked at Serena and then once more at Chuck's door.

'Why do you keep looking at the door-' Dan had begun asking her.

'Chuck's back.' Nate answered. A silence fell among the group. Blair sighed. This was not how this night was supposed to go. Nate, Serena, Dan and her were not supposed to be standing outside of Chuck's room having this discussion.

'Blair he needs-' Nate began and she looked up at him.

'I just need a moment. And you should tell Vanessa what's going on before she thinks you just left her.' Nate shook his head and took out his phone. He quickly sent Vanessa a message telling him to meet him outside Chuck's room. Blair's eyes landed on Dan and something became very obvious to her. She gave a small chuckle and they all raised their eyebrows at her.

'Serena, you don't need my help. You need Jenny's.' Blair pointed to Dan. 'His sister.' Dan groaned. 'Sorry.' Blair added towards him. Serena looked slightly confused.

'One of the reasons I used to dislike Blair before we became friends is, well, because she trained my sister.' Dan added as explanation. 'She doesn't do that anymore, Blair.' Dan added a moment later.

'Just because she doesn't, does not mean she can't. She's almost as good as me, Dan. And she's in school. Which means she'll be able to plot more successfully. She's in her element. If you're worried about Jenny then go with Serena.' Dan stayed silent and finally nodded his head.

'Serena, if for some reason Jenny can't help, I will come. But until then I need to sort some things out here.' Serena nodded in understanding.

'Thank you, B.'

'I'll go with,' Nate added.

'You don't have too, Archibald.'

'Serena, I've known Eric for all his life. I'm coming.' Just then Vanessa walked up to the group.

'What's going on?' she asked them.

'An impromptu road trip apparently.' Dan said and they all looked at him. 'We should get going. You might as well come to, Vanessa we're heading home for a day or two.' Dan further added. Serena took his hand and they began walking to their dorms to grab a few things.

'Let me know how it goes,' Nate said to Blair and nudged his head towards Chuck's door. 'And good luck.' He gave her a small kiss on the top of her head and then took Vanessa's hand and left. Blair watched them all go and then turned towards Chuck's door. She stared at it for awhile. She finally knocked on it. No answer came. Blair sighed and knocked again. She leant her forehead on the door.

'Chuck!' she called out and waited a bit. Still nothing. 'I know you're in there.' she added. Chuck had moved to the door when he heard Blair's voice. He stood in front of it. Just staring at it. He then took another sip of his drink as a way to prevent himself from letting Blair in. He wanted to see her but wouldn't. 'I'm not going anywhere.' he heard her say. He scoffed- figuring eventually she would get tired and leave. Chuck moved and got the bottle of whiskey he had delivered earlier that evening and then made his way back to his door. He sat down and leaned against the wall. He knew Blair was still at the door. He heard some shuffling and figured she was also sitting down.

Blair sighed and sat down, she moved against the wall. She knocked again. She didn't say anything for a bit and just sat there. Every once in a while she would softly knock on the door. Chuck hadn't moved from the wall next to the door or said anything. 'Nate's worried about you.' He heard her say awhile later and then knock again. He knew eventually she would get irritated with him. Blair sat there and started to get really angry. She was moments from banging insistently on the door when this girl walked up to Chuck's door. She was tall, dressed in a black dress, had shoulder brown hair and green eyes. She looked at Blair, shrugged and then knocked on Chuck's door calling out his name. 'His not in. So you can leave now.' Chuck heard Blair say this to whoever was knocking. She had said it in such an icy way that the girl once again simply just looked at her and then left. 'Chuck Bass! Open this door!' Blair yelled and began knocking relentlessly. Chuck sighed. He took out his phone and typed out a message. A moment later Blair's phone went off. She stopped knocking and read the message.

_Go away, Blair. _– is what the message from Chuck said. She typed a reply. Chuck took his phone out his pocket and read the message.

_You had you're chance to talk to me through the use of a phone. I'm not going anywhere._ - was Blair's reply. Chuck was about to reply when all of a sudden he saw Blair's phone slide across his floor. She had slid it under his door. He sighed and made no move to get it-knowing that she was serious about not going anywhere. 'Chuck, please.' he heard her softly say against the door and then heard her fingers tap against the door. He sighed and was desperate to let her in now. He hesitated on the door handle and finally turned it. Blair heard the door click before she saw it open. She looked to the side and saw Chuck's shoes. She quickly stood up and turned to face Chuck. When she saw him her heart stopped for a second. She wanted to kiss him but stayed where she was. Chuck took her in; he hadn't realized how much he missed her until now. He turned around and walked to her phone, picking it up. Blair entered the room and shut the door. Chuck held out her phone for her. She walked over and took her phone from him, her fingers lingered a bit on his hand. She caught his gaze and finally moved her hand away.

'Hi,' she said and moved past him further into his dorm room. Chuck turned and watched her. He eventually moved in to the room. He put the bottle down but refilled his glass.

'What are you doing here, Blair?'

'Where have you been?' she shot right back at him. A silence fell and they both just stared at each other for awhile. 'Nate was worried about you, so here I am.'

'Well, I'm fine.' Chuck said and downed his glass.

'Evidently.' Blair sarcastically replied and pointed to him and then the alcohol.

'I don't know what you're expecting from me.'

'An explanation, Chuck!'

'There's nothing you need to know, Blair.' She scoffed at him.

'How about why you left without telling me? What you were doing? What's got you so upset?' Chuck said nothing. He put his glass down and stared at Blair for a bit. He knew she was furious but he could tell she was worried as well. He sighed.

'Like I said, there's nothing you need to know.' he watched her again and this time registered a hurt expression. She began nodding her head.

'Right,' she took a step forward, 'because I'm just the girl you've just been sleeping with.' Blair's voice was icy and Chuck flinched a bit. 'It's always been a game with you and me. You don't do serious.' She motioned around her. 'Because if you did, we wouldn't be standing here like this, in this situation. And I was stupid enough to _let myself care about you._' Blair said the last part so harshly that Chuck wanted to suddenly tell her everything. He didn't want her to stop caring.

'Blair-' he began and she shook her head.

'Don't worry, you're off the hook now.' she said and walked straight past him and Chuck heard the door close. He suddenly couldn't help but think that Blair had just stopped caring. It took him a few moments to realize that he just let the one thing he cared about, possibly even loved, walk out the door. Chuck turned around and knew he had to go find her. He wasn't sure if he would find her or even if she would listen to him now. What he was sure of, was that he at least needed to try.

* * *

**A/N: Please review. Next update will be on Thursday possibly Friday. I have been planning this chapter for awhile, since the start of the story. So Delena Leyton and LoVe, I was always planning on bringing Jenny in for a bit. Jenny definitely will be in the next chapter- so hope you enjoy it- all of you! Like I said before, just know there is a lot of drama from now on till the end of the story. Also a side note, I'm sorry I didn't elaborate on what exactly the special evenings for Serena and Vanessa were. I just didn't see the need to, cause I always knew they would be interrupted and they would all end up leaving.  
**


	23. The Aftermath

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS ONE! Just a quick piece of info "Midnight" is the name of the restaurant/club that was Chuck's idea. I have mentioned this place in chapter 5 (so a refresher is necessary :) and in a few chapters back. I just never named it. So now you know. **

**Enjoy! And please guys review! Thanks so much to all who have reviewed, the reviews are awesome and you're awesome for taking the time to review. :) **

**Chapter 23: The Aftermath**

Chuck left his room and stood in the corridor, Blair was no where to be seen. He left the building and walked straight to her room. He knocked but no answer came. Chuck wasn't sure if she was actually in her room or just ignoring him. He tried to call her but she wouldn't pick up. It was fairly late now and logically he knew it would be best to just wait for tomorrow to find Blair and talk to her. So he stopped knocking and began walking back to his dorm. He was crossing a courtyard, when he spotted Blair sitting on a bench. She was looking down and Chuck just stood there for a few moments, not quite sure what to do next. Suddenly Blair looked up and was caught off guard when she spotted Chuck standing a few feet away from her. The next few moments were critical and both of them knew that. Blair immediately stood up and began to walk away. Chuck called after her, halting her in her steps for only a moment. She began to walk again and Chuck quickly caught up to her.

'Blair!' he called again and grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She wouldn't turn around to face him and so Chuck stepped in front of her. She was standing in the glow of a near light and Chuck noticed that her eyes were slightly red. She yanked her arm out of his hand and that action brought him fully into the present moment.

'What?' she snapped at him.

'I need to talk to you,' Chuck said softly and tried to reach for her arm again but she stepped back and laughed.

'Now you want to talk? Has the alcohol finally kicked in?' she was being harsh and Chuck knew he deserved it. As for the alcohol- the events of the night had ensured he was sober now.

'Please, I know I don't deserve it, Blair but hear me out.'

'Hear you out? You seem to have a theme going,' Blair said and paused briefly, 'give you a chance… hear you out. All I'm doing is taking risks on you-'

'Blair!' Chuck cut her off and stepped forward. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. 'Just stop. You're upset.' he stated in such a matter of fact way that it actually surprised her.

'What's your point?'

'My point, Waldorf, is that I messed up and I know it and I'm here trying to fix it and you need to let me try.'

'I'm tired, Chuck.' she said softly to him. 'I just want to go to bed now.' He took a hold of her hand and was slightly surprised that she let him.

'So we'll sleep now and talk tomorrow.' Blair just looked at him and gave one small nod. She slipped her hand out of his and had taken one step when Chuck once again stopped her. 'No, Blair, stay with me tonight.' she raised her eyebrows.

'Why would I do that?' she shot out at him.

'Because then I know you'll hear me out tomorrow.'

'You can come find me tomorrow.'

'Unless you don't want me to find you tomorrow, this way it'll be guaranteed that I-'

'Chuck, I don't get you! Earlier this evening you wouldn't talk to me at all and now you're all for talking. You can't be serious! What suddenly changed?'

'You walked out and I suddenly realized that if I didn't find you, you'd stop caring.'

'You're an idiot!' Blair said and suddenly began to walk away- except she was walking in the direction of Chuck's room. She reached it and waited for him to open, which he silently did. She walked straight to the bedroom, opened a draw and took out one of his shirts. She then walked into the bathroom. A few moments later she emerged in his shirt. Chuck was leaning against the draws in his room and took in the sight of her. He really had missed her and knew he had been an idiot not to realize just how much she meant to him. She pulled back the duvet cover and got into the side of the bed she would usually sleep on. She looked at him- still angry.

'Realize, that I'm only here because I'm tired and you can be a relentless idiot when you want to be.' she stated and turned away from him. 'You had your chance to talk earlier.' she said the last part softly but Chuck had heard it. He sighed. He really had messed up. He quickly got ready for bed. He turned the lights off and got in. He didn't think she was sleeping yet but didn't say anything. It was quite awhile later when he knew she was sleeping, she had moved closer to him and did what she usually did in her sleep. Her head leant slightly against his shoulder and her one hand rested on his arm. He sighed and suddenly felt a lot more comfortable.

* * *

Jenny turned over and then rubbed her eyes. She slowly opened them and saw a blurry figure standing over her that looked oddly like her brother. Which was just impossible because he was in college- is what was running through her head. She sat up and rubbed her eyes again and then broke into a grin. She jumped out of bed and gave her brother a hug.

'Dan! What are you doing here?' she exclaimed.

'All in due time, Jenny.' Was Dan's reply and he then pulled away and looked at his sister. 'I've made breakfast.' he stated and nudged his head towards the door.

'Ok, I'll be out in a minute.' Jenny replied and Dan left the room. He walked back to the kitchen and looked at Vanessa and Nate sitting at his kitchen counter. Dan was suddenly grateful that his Dad was out of town for a few days and that he didn't have to explain this unexpected visit to him. A moment later Jenny came out, she walked to the kitchen and froze when she saw Vanessa and another rather nice looking guy sitting at it.

'Dan,' Jenny sweetly said, 'You couldn't have warned me Vanessa and…'

'Nate.' Nate supplied his name for her.

'Nate we're going to be here.' Jenny finished and Dan laughed.

'No, cause it would have taken you an hour to get out here.' He then handed her a plate of pancakes.

'Only because you gave me pancakes, will I not respond to your previous statement.' She sat down and began eating. 'So is Blair here as well?' Jenny asked a moment later and trailed her eyes from Vanessa to Dan. The primary reason Jenny and Blair got along was their mutual dislike of Vanessa after what she did to Dan. Besides that Blair and Jenny were civil with each other but not exactly friends with one another. Jenny however would rather see Blair any day than Vanessa at this stage.

'No, she's still at college,' Nate responded, 'and still hasn't let me know what happened with Chuck.' he said the last part more to himself than the others. Jenny turned to him.

'Sorry who exactly are you?' Nate laughed and turned to her.

'Well you know the name but officially…' he held out his hand, Jenny shook it. 'Nate Archibald,' he formally introduced himself, 'Dating Vanessa and friends with Serena who your brother is dating.' Dan had mentioned Serena to her before. So Jenny wasn't surprised at the mention of her.

'Jenny Humphrey,' Jenny replied and nodded her head. 'Dating Vanessa?' she questioned with raised eyebrows. 'And you know Blair?' This time it was Vanessa's turn to laugh.

'Nate and Blair are actually good friends much to my annoyance,' Vanessa answered and then added a 'Hi.'

'Dan, you really need to call more,' Jenny said towards him and then turned back to Nate. 'So how'd you manage to date Vanessa and be friends with Blair?' Jenny smiled and Nate laughed.

'I take it you know that Vanessa and Blair don't exactly get along,' Jenny gave a small laugh and nodded. Nate added. 'Any way that's a long story, Jenny, which Dan can fill you in about sometime.' Just then his phone went off. He checked his messages. 'Ok. I'm going to get Serena and Eric.' Nate then looked back at Dan and then Jenny. 'Maybe you should fill her in on the current situation?'

'Don't worry about it, she'll help.' Dan added and nudged his sister playfully. Jenny's interest in this surprise visit suddenly increased.

'Help with?' she asked.

'Payback,' Dan casually said and watched his sister carefully.

'Finally! Things we're starting to get boring.' Jenny added and stood up. 'I'm going to get ready.'

'Don't you want to know more?' Dan asked before she left.

'All in due time, bro.' She mimicked his words from earlier and gave him a cheeky smile and then left to go get ready.

* * *

Blair woke up and rolled over expecting to see Chuck. He wasn't there though. She sighed and got out of bed. She left the room and found him sitting on the couch. He was just sitting staring at some book. Blair moved to the kitchen and started making coffee. The events of the previous night were replaying in her head and she was tempted to just stop making coffee and leave. But when she looked at Chuck she couldn't help but notice that he looked genuinely sad. She finished making the coffee and walked over to the couch. She sat down next to Chuck and he looked over. She handed him a cup of coffee. He took it.

'Thanks.' Chuck said softly. He looked back over at her, Blair put her coffee down. She leaned back and then ran a hand through Chuck's hair.

'What's wrong?' she asked and knew she would only ask him this once. He had one chance to set things straight and this was it. He looked at her and then took a sip of his coffee.

'My dad closed Midnight,' he began and moved his attention to his cup of coffee instead of Blair. She was shocked at the news but relieved he was actually talking. Midnight was the restaurant and club which was Chuck's idea but his dad had financed it. Chuck made sure that that place ran smoothly. 'According to him it was becoming a financial burden, so I went to see my dad for a few days. See if I could do something to stop him. He was adamant that it needed to close though.' he stopped talking and Blair moved a bit closer to him. She understood why this would bother him but she didn't understand why he would keep this from her. Or why he didn't want to tell her what was going on.

'Chuck-'

'Turns out the real reason he wanted it closed was because of the 'unruly' image it was creating and he doesn't want that particular image associated with Bass industries.' He paused for a bit and eventually added. 'So now you know that I'm a failure.' Chuck finished and stood up and went to lean against the kitchen counter. Everything suddenly made sense to Blair. She stood up as well and walked up to him. She stood in front of him and rested one hand on his chest and ran a hand through his hair again.

'That's why you kept me out of the loop? Why you didn't want to tell me what was wrong at first? Because you consider yourself a failure and didn't want me to consider you a failure?' she asked him but knew she didn't have too. She understood how Chuck worked. He gave a small nod.

'I am a failure, Blair I couldn't stop my own father from shutting down the one place that shows I'm capable of being something of creating something.' He finished and found himself running a hand up Blair's arm. He missed being able to touch her. Blair gave him a small smile.

'Chuck Bass, you are no failure. That place is a success and just because it's closing doesn't erase that. And you don't need it to validate you. You validate you and you'll have more great ideas, Bass.' She leaned up and gave him a small kiss on the lips. 'Ok?' she asked him seriously and he nodded. He was about to kiss her when she pulled away and looked at him seriously. 'Chuck, if something like this happens again and you don't tell me. Don't let me in. That'll be it for me and you.' she was serious and Chuck could tell that.

'I'm sorry,' he said and began to play with her hair. 'I'm not used to having someone around that actually wants to be around.' Blair laughed and shook her head at him.

'I want to be around,' she said and moved a bit closer to him. 'So don't do it again.'

'I won't.' Chuck replied and finally pulled her into a kiss. He then picked her up and took her back to the couch.

* * *

Jenny nodded and smiled at Eric. He looked irritated by this all.

'I can help. This will be easy.' Jenny said and turned to Eric. 'If you want my help?' Eric considered her for a moment.

'What would your help consist of?'

'I'll take her down,' she said seriously. 'Quickly, quietly, she won't mess with you again.'

'You sound worst than Blair,' Serena laughed. 'He wants your help.'

'She did train me well,' Jenny smiled but once again turned to Eric. 'I won't do this unless you want me too.' Eric once again considered her.

'If I say stop, we stop?' He asked. She nodded. He smiled at her. 'Then teach me your ways, Jenny.' she laughed and considered the others for a bit.

'Ok, Dan and Vanessa I'll need you to come with me for a bit. Serena, Nate, Eric you just need to entertain yourselves for a bit. We won't be long.'

'What are we doing?' Dan asked Jenny quickly.

'Going to check Beth out.'

'I need to be there why?'

'Because Dan, you're friends with Blair.'

'Your point?'

'You're intimidating by association.' Serena laughed.

'I'd be happy to help,' Serena offered.

'No, you'll draw to much attention but don't worry you'll be helping soon.'

'And I'm going with because?' Vanessa asked.

'Incase I can't talk to Beth then you'll have to.' Jenny stood up and looked at the rest of them. 'See you guys later.' She pulled Dan up and began dragging him away. Vanessa followed.

'I wish you got this excited about normal things.' Is what Serena, Nate and Eric heard Dan mumble out at Jenny before the door closed.

'So what do you guys feel like doing?' Nate asked and Serena and Eric smiled at him.

* * *

**A/N: Ok! Please review. Now the next update will hopefully be Sunday. If not Sunday then definitely Tuesday. It wont be possible for me to post on Monday, this is why I will try my hardest for Sunday. Also Jenny in this fic is... I would say is maybe like early season 3 Jenny, she's still nice but has a mean streak when its needed. And you know if any of you really like Vanessa then I apologise for making her the least liked character in this fic. I struggle to find good things about her in the show and in this fic she has history with Dan (which I haven't explained yet) so you know in this story I also dislike her. Last thing... Next chapter will have a lot of Jenny, Serena, Dan, Nate and Vanessa and not a lot of Chuck and Blair. You've been warned. **


	24. Payback

**A/N: I'm so sorry I am only updating today! It was my birthday this week and I got sidetracked by everything and therefore only managed to update today! **

**A huge thank you goes out to those of you who review! The reviews for the last chapter were awesome! **

**Please keep reviewing!  
**

**Chapter 24: Payback**

'I think Eric has officially kicked your ass,' Serena said and laughed.

'Hey, it's just because he got the better control,' Nate indignantly said.

'Sure he did.' Serena patted him on the shoulder and grinned at Eric. They had been playing games on the X-box they discovered Dan had. An hour had passed and the others still hadn't returned. Eric considered Nate and Serena for a moment.

'So who's Blair?' he asked them suddenly. She had been mentioned a few times and he was curious as to who she was.

'Blair Waldorf,' Nate said while still concentrating on the game and trying to beat Eric.

'She's dating Chuck.'

'What?' he asked shocked. Eric was still winning the game. Serena intervened at this stage.

'No, not "dating" like normal Chuck "I'm just sleeping with you dating". He's actually _dating _her. She's also Dan's best friend.' She tapped Eric on the shoulder. 'I want my turn to beat Archibald.' Eric shrugged and handed her the control. He took this all in.

'First off, how did Blair pull off the impossible and get Chuck Bass to settle down?'

'Blair's a challenge for him, like no other girl has ever been.' Nate explained.

'Plus he loves her,' Serena added. Eric was finding this hard to believe. He had known Chuck all his life and knew Chuck's reputation. To hear of him actually dating a girl it was unprecedented.

'That's just…' he trailed off. 'Weird!' He finally added and the others laughed. Suddenly Serena yelled out a 'Yes!' and Nate sighed- he had just lost the game to her.

'Right, I give up. Eric you can play your sister.' Nate stood up and went to get a glass of water. He returned to watch the siblings battle it out.

'So…what happened with you two?' Eric asked and heard Nate choke on his water. 'I had a bet going that you'd get together. I lost money thanks to you two.' he added and waited for one of them to respond. They remained silent for awhile.

'Nothing happened, Serena met Dan,' Nate finally said.

'And Nate met Vanessa,' Serena added.

'So here we are,' Nate concluded, 'better as friends anyway.'

'Exactly.' Serena agreed and Nate watched her trying to gage her reaction at this unexpected conversation.

'Right, so tell me what's it like in the land of denial?' Eric sarcastically asked and threw a look at his sister.

'You know it's pretty much the same as the real world, they even have irritating little brothers!' They all laughed and then Serena continued to beat Eric in the game.

* * *

Jenny walked up to Dan and stood next to him, leaning against a wall and folding her arms. They were waiting for Vanessa to return.

'So you and Serena?' she asked her brother and he nodded. 'Well, I'm just glad it's not Vanessa!'

'What?' Dan suddenly asked shocked.

'No really, I thought at one stage you were going to get back together with her. Although I wouldn't mind if Nate was free to date. His hot.'

'First off, Vanessa isn't a bad person. Secondly, I don't want to hear those things about boys from my little sister!' Jenny laughed and nudged him playfully.

'You're such a prude, Dan. But seriously, I don't want to see you get hurt again. So just be careful with Vanessa.' Dan sighed this was beginning to get irritating.

'I forgave her! Why can't you and Blair?'

'Because Dan, we aren't all as saintly as you and she doesn't deserve to be forgiven.'

'Jenny, the past is the past.'

'Yes, and completely ignoring it, isn't healthy.' Dan raised his eyebrows.

'I forgave her.' Jenny scoffed.

'Right. For which part? For cheating on you? For committing the cheating with your best friend? Or for doing it a week after you told her you loved her?'

'Craig is not my best friend-'

'No, but he was. Just be careful. That's all I'm saying. I don't like seeing you two in close proximity.' Just then Vanessa returned and told them what she had learnt. Jenny nodded and hatched a plan to take down Beth. The three of them returned to Serena, Nate and Eric.

* * *

Blair felt someone kiss her on her cheek. She looked up and smiled at Chuck. He sat down next to her. She leaned in and gave him a proper kiss. They broke apart and Chuck tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

'I was thinking about heading to the club 'Unknown' tomorrow night. You want to join?' Chuck asked her and Blair sighed.

'I can't, I have this assignment I need to finish-' she was about to continue when someone interrupted her.

'I'll go with you.' Some voice said and they both turned to stare at brown haired girl.

'Who are you?' Blair shot out.

'Georgina,' the girl replied. 'Chace's brother. I see you make it a habit… rejecting guys that is.' She said directly to Blair who raised her eyebrows. Chuck just shook his head.

'Georgina, go bother someone else,' Chuck said and stood up and held out his hand for Blair who took it. Chuck had heard about Georgina but had never dealt with her. He had also failed to realize she was Chace's brother. They walked away before Georgina could reply. Chuck put an arm around Blair's shoulder and they left campus to go spend some time together.

* * *

Serena walked out in a yellow almost gold dress that had a low cut back and a v-neck front. She stood before Nate and Dan.

'What do you think?'

'You look beautiful,' Dan said and walked over and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

'Thanks but I need to draw everyone's attention tonight so-'

'Don't worry, Van der Woodsen, this dress will work.' Nate added and checked his watch. 'Vanessa and Jenny should be here any minute.' As if scripted Vanessa and Jenny arrived at Serena's a few moments later. Vanessa was in a green dress which had two straps crossing at the back. Jenny was in black strapless dress that had silver beading trailing from the front to the back. They all looked stunning. A moment later Eric joined them.

'You sure this is going to work?' he asked Jenny, she smiled at him.

'I'm sure, let's just go over this one more time. The point of tonight is to strip Beth of her social status. So Serena, Beth is generally the life of the party, tonight you have to be. Vanessa you make sure to steal away any attention any guy starts paying her. Dan and Nate your jobs are her friends. You flirt; you steal their attention away and ignore her. I'll be with Eric and making sure by the end of the night; she knows not to mess with Eric anymore.' They were heading over to this party Beth would be at and although Jenny had created the plan, a lot rode on the others and how well they could pull their roles off.

**A few hours later**

Nate watched as Serena held the attention of nearly everyone in the room. She had certainly become the life of the party and Nate couldn't help but think she looked radiant well doing it. He shifted his gaze back to the girl he had been talking to and nodded, he then scanned the room and found Dan and Vanessa surprisingly talking and laughing. A few moments later however Vanessa left and got the attention of some guy who had approached Beth. Dan then moved on to one of her other friends. Nate looked at Beth she was definitely not happy. He scanned the room once more and found Jenny and Eric sitting together. They were laughing but Nate knew they had something planned for later, and were probably anxiously waiting until they could set that plan into action. He moved his gaze back to Serena. He wanted to just stop talking to this girl and go over to her. He watched her a bit longer and was pleasantly surprised when she looked at him and sent him a smile. He shook his head and finally paid attention to his task. A few minutes later he noticed Jenny and Eric moving towards Beth. He checked the time it was midnight.

Jenny looked at Eric and gave him a small smile. 'You ready for this?' she asked him seriously. He considered her for a moment.

'Just follow your lead right?' he replied and nodded. 'By the way how did you get gossip girl to post this?' Jenny shrugged.

'I just worked the system.' Eric laughed.

'So you must be the 'queen' at your school?' Jenny shook her head.

'No, I gave that up. Long story. Tell you later.' They had finally reached Beth. Jenny was surprised by how well she and Eric got along. She didn't expect to like him as much as she did. She knew that after this they would keep in touch and she was glad about that.

'Eric, what are you doing here?' Beth asked him in a rather cold tone. 'This party is for people who actually have a life.' Both Jenny and Eric scoffed.

'Having a good night, Beth?' Jenny asked her suddenly. Beth eyed her.

'Who are you?' Jenny didn't reply.

'We couldn't help but notice that you seem to be alone tonight? Your friends don't even seem to want to hang around you.' Eric stated instead of explaining who Jenny was. They had both decided to keep her under the radar as much as possible. They didn't need their two separate schools going to 'war' and certainly didn't want to be the ones to start it.

Beth glared at them. She seemed to be speechless but recovered a moment later.

'That's ridiculous; they're off doing things for me.'

'Sure they are. Talking to cute boys benefits you how?' Jenny shot out. They could tell she was getting irritated. She straightened out and glared at Eric.

'What are you doing here, Eric?' He looked at his watch.

'In about a minute you'll know.' He looked at Jenny and she gave him a small nod. 'I want you to know, that I controlled this evening.' He simply said and then turned to walk away leaving a very confused looking Beth.

'Consider tonight a preview of what we can do, if you don't stop, it'll get worst.' Jenny added before walking away as well. As she reached Eric people's phones began to go off and a moment later everyone who went to school- was staring at Beth. She stared at Eric who shrugged and then left with Jenny. They waited outside for Serena, Dan, Nate and Vanessa.

They came out a few minutes later and stared at Eric and Jenny. They never got school related gossip girl blasts. Sure Gossip Girl posted blasts about college students, and those were the ones they got, but tonight they didn't know what everyone had received about Beth.

'What happened?' Serena asked and Eric handed her his phone, she raised her eyebrows.

'Wow that will keep her at bay.' Serena passed the phone on to the others.

'What do you say we all head back to our place for a bit?' Jenny asked.

'If it's ok with you, I'm going to skip on that offer?' Eric asked and Jenny sighed but nodded.

'I'm driving us all back to campus early tomorrow morning, so I think I should just go sleep.' Nate added. Jenny really looked disappointed at that. Serena considered this all for a moment.

'I'll come by in a bit. I want to go home with Eric first. Change out of this dress.' Serena said.

'I'm in. I live near you two anyway.' Vanessa spoke up. With that Jenny, Dan and Vanessa went back to the Humphrey's. Nate went home for the night and Serena and Eric went back to their place. Serena had every intention to head over to Dan's but once she got home and Eric put in a movie- she got side tracked and didn't make it back over there.

**The Next Morning **

Jenny, Vanessa and Dan were all outside and packing their things into Nate's car. He had come to fetch them. Serena was already in the car. Jenny watched them all with mild interest mixed with annoyance. The events of last night kept playing over in her head. Serena got out the car and thanked Jenny for all her help. Jenny gave her a hug, and ensured her that if anything happened, she'd let her know and if Eric needed her help she'd be glad to be of service. Serena got back into the car and walked over to Dan.

'I like Serena!' she scolded her brother. 'You have to tell her!' Dan pulled her aside to make sure they couldn't be over heard.

'Nothing happened,' Dan said.

'Yet. Nothing has happened yet. But I won't always be there to interrupt. She deserves to know what's going on with you. You have stuff to sort out!' Dan stared at his sister.

'No, we don't.' Dan said those three words with such finality that Jenny dropped the subject. She shook her head and went to say bye to Nate.

'It was nice meeting you!' She said happily and gave him a hug.

'Maybe see you around campus next year.' Nate nudged her. Jenny and Eric were graduating at the end of this year and there was a chance they would be joining the others at the same college.

'Maybe.' Jenny replied. Nate then moved and got into his car. Jenny walked over to Vanessa.

'I don't know what you're playing at,' she paused and Vanessa titled her head. 'And if I could, I'd try to find out what game you're playing…' she trailed off and took a step closer to her. 'but considering I can't be there, I'm going to choose to trust that you know better than to do anything stupid.' With that Jenny walked away and waved at the others. She then went back inside and once again considered what she had walked into last night. She took out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't called in a long time.

* * *

'Chuck!' Blair scolded. 'Give me my phone!' It was early morning and they had just gotten coffee. Chuck had her phone and wouldn't give it back until Blair considered going to the club with him tonight. He sighed, seeing how frustrated she was getting and took out the ringing phone. He looked at it.

'Who's Jenny?' Blair had filled Chuck in on where the other four had gone and why. But she hadn't gone in to much detail.

'What?' Blair grabbed the phone out of his hand. 'It's Dan's sister.' She quickly answered. 'Jenny, is everything ok?' Blair asked and listened carefully to what she was being told.

* * *

**A/N: Just a few things. I'm going to update on Sunday and again on Tuesday. I guess, I aged Jenny and Eric a bit in this fic... considering in the next year they'll be in college. I did this on the off chance that I do a sequel to College Trials. If I do, I want them in it and them being in College will help with that. Also I just want to clear up that Gossip Girl does still post things relating to Serena, Blair etc.**

**Please review!  
**


	25. Exit Blair and Nate Part 2

**A/N: I'm sorry these updates have been taking longer than I want them too. Things have been busy! Anyway this chapter is a lot longer than the others! You have been warned. I hope you like it. Flashbacks are in italics.  
**

**Please review! Thanks to all who do review. They're awesome  
**

**Chapter 25: Exit Blair and Nate. Part 2**

Blair walked straight over to Dan, who was standing with Serena, Nate and Vanessa. She reached them in a matter of moments.

'Blair, how's Chuck?' Nate asked immediately. She hadn't really told him what had happened.

'Fine, you know how he is,' she waved her hands dismissively and Nate scrunched his eyebrows and folded his arms. Blair sighed. 'Really, he'll be fine. I'll explain later. Right now, I need to drag Dan away.' She stated seriously.

'Blair, we just got back-' Dan started.

'You don't have a choice in this, Humphrey.' she stated seriously. 'Jenny called me.' Dan shrugged and then he and Blair entered into a staring match.

'Then you know that there is nothing to discuss.' Blair stepped a bit closer to him and everyone was watching the two of them. She scoffed.

'Please, that won't work on me-' she started and this time Vanessa interrupted.

'Blair…' Vanessa stepped forward and faced her. Blair folded her arms and glared at her. Vanessa stepped back. She shook her head. 'Never mind.' She was about to walk away when suddenly Serena halted her.

'Don't forget we have the scavenger hunt tomorrow night,' Serena paused and looked at all of them. 'All of you… don't forget.' she then eyed Dan and Blair. 'Dan, you'll find me after you and Blair talk?' she had no idea what was going on between the two of them or why Jenny had called Blair. Dan stepped to her side.

'No, I'll walk you back to your room.' Dan took Serena's hand and looked at Blair. 'I'll find you later.' With that Serena and Dan left. Vanessa then stared at Blair again, she then turned to Nate gave him a small kiss on his cheek and also swiftly left. Blair stood there irritated that Dan had just left like that. Nate walked forward and linked his arm with hers. They began walking before Blair even realized she was walking.

'So, Waldorf, what's going on?' Blair looked up at Nate. She suddenly felt over protective of him. She sighed and knew she couldn't say anything yet. So she began to tell him, about what happened with Chuck.

* * *

Chuck entered the library and searched for Blair. He found her at a table, in a corner, away from everyone else. He sat down opposite her. She looked up at him and smiled. Chuck could tell that smile wasn't genuine though.

'What's wrong?' he asked her concerned. She shook her head.

'This assignment is just irritating me.'

'So come out to the club?' Chuck took her hand and intertwined their fingers.

'I can't, it has to be in tomorrow you know this.' she smiled at him once more. Chuck had tried everything to get her to go to the club "Unknown" tonight- he was meeting up with a few random people (that Blair didn't know) which could possibly help him save "Midnight" from being closed. He sighed.

'I don't have to go. We could go back to your room and I'll stay with you while you finish the assignment.' Chuck said seriously.

'No, go have fun tonight. Anyway, we have that scavenger hunt thing tomorrow with everyone and then hopefully the party after.' she gave him a small wink. 'We'll have fun tomorrow.' she then leaned across the table and gave him a small kiss. She ran her hands through his hair. 'Now go, have fun!' Chuck gave a small laugh and looked at her. He could still tell she wasn't completely ok.

'You're sure there isn't anything wrong?' he asked her once more and she nodded. He stared at her for a few moments before finally leaving.

* * *

Serena stopped outside of Nate's room excitedly. She was meeting up with him first. They were driving together to the first meeting area of the Scavenger Hunt where instructions would be given to all of them. They would be meeting up with the rest of the group there. She knocked and a moment later Nate opened the door. She jumped up and down when she saw him and gave him a hug. He laughed, returned the hug and then stepped out his room, closing the door behind him. She linked her arm through his.

'I take it you're excited for this?' Nate asked her seriously.

'Come on, Archibald. This has fun written all over it. And considering the intensity that is dripping off everyone these days, we need fun. Plus the party is supposed to be epic.'

'We have to get through the hunt first before we can get to the party…' he trailed off when he saw the excited look on Serena's face. He laughed. 'You're right, this should be fun.'

'That's the spirit!'

'Only for you, Van der Woodsen.'

They arrived at the area and got out the car, laughing at something Nate had just said. They then proceeded to scan the area for their friends and finally spotted Chuck and Blair sitting at a tree. Chuck was leaning against the tree and Blair was leaning against him. They walked over to them. Serena noticed that Blair looked stunned to see her and Nate.

'Where's Dan?' Blair asked her seriously.

'His with Vanessa. They had some project they needed to sort out, so they said they'd meet us here.' Serena explained and looked up at the sky. The scavenger hunt started in the late afternoon but she knew it would be dark soon enough. Nate and Serena then sat down opposite Blair and Chuck.

'How was last night?' Nate asked Chuck.

'It was a good party.' Chuck replied. They all continued talking about random things for a further ten minutes, until Vanessa and Dan showed up. They reached the group and smiled at everyone. Dan went and sat down next to Serena. Blair eyed him for a moment but said nothing. Serena noticed the tension in the group had increased substantially when Dan and Vanessa had arrived. She didn't know what was going on, and realized that the only people who did were Dan, Vanessa and Blair. Serena took a deep breath, she was determined to have a good night and she would worry about this later. She figured there was some sort of friendship issue going on between the three of them. She stood up and looked at everyone.

'Come on,' she motioned behind her. 'Let's go get our rules and the first clue.' She smiled at everyone and they all stood up.

* * *

One and half hours later they were on their fifth clue and having a really good time. The rules were simple, figure out the clue and then head over to where the clue led them. At that specific location there would be some task they needed to carry out and take a photo as proof of completion of the task. Sometimes they all had to do the task, and sometimes they had people at those stations that picked certain people from the group to carry out the task. They were currently waiting on Nate who had to go into a store and had to purchase a specific list of items. He came out looking red and Blair, Serena and Vanessa immediately burst out laughing. For this task the girls had to pick one guy to do it and they picked Nate. They had seen what the list had consisted of and knew out of all the guys Nate or Dan would not have been happy with it. They had settled on Nate because Dan had completed an earlier task by himself.

'The check out girl laughed the whole time she was wringing up the items,' he said and the girls laughed more. The boys went to look at what he had gotten and laughed when they saw the items.

'You're not done,' Blair managed to say and looked seriously at Nate. She took out the camera (Serena had brought along. When she signed them up they told her she would need one) and held it up and smiled at him, 'you have to pose with those items and,' she paused and took out the clue again, 'apparently each pose has to be different.' She grinned at him and Nate shook his head.

'You're all enjoying this way too much!' he grumpily added but couldn't help but give a small laugh. Just then Serena laughed and walked over to him, she placed a hand on his arm.

'Don't worry, Nate, we'll each take turns posing with you. I'll go first.' Nate produced a bottle of whipped cream, a box of condoms, a sex toy, chocolate sauce and a blind fold that came with a pair of handcuffs. Everyone took a turn and posed with Nate and the pictures were hilarious but great. Once they had documented this they got given their next clue and headed off to their next destination. It was in walking distance from where they were. Blair felt an arm wrap around her waist and she felt someone pull her back a bit. She smiled up at Chuck who placed a small kiss on her neck.

'You know, we could steal those items Archibald bought.' Blair laughed and smacked his arm. The two continued walking and bantering. All the while Serena and Vanessa walked together and Dan and Nate walked together a bit behind them. Serena turned to Vanessa.

'Hey, is everything ok with you, Dan and Blair?' she asked her. Even though she didn't want to spoil the night with anything serious, she thought she would just ask and leave it at that for the night. Vanessa contemplated Serena and then turned and looked at Dan. Her mind went back to the previous night.

* * *

_Vanessa and Dan we're sitting in his room. It was late now and Jenny was getting ready to go to bed. They weren't tired yet. Vanessa moved and picked up a pillow and threw it at Dan. He laughed. _

'_You always did hate that pillow.' He stated. Vanessa suddenly looked around his room and went quiet. She then looked back at Dan. _

'_This room has a lot of history,' she said and went to sit down next to Dan. He nodded. _

'_It's seen the best and worst of us.' Dan looked at her and she looked at him and smiled. _

'_Nostalgia is a funny thing,' Vanessa said softly and moved closer to him. Dan nodded not sure what was happening and not sure if he wanted to stop it. 'We had our first kiss, first fight in this room. Hell we became friends in this room.' He didn't say anything but felt Vanessa's hand move to his. They both went quiet and the atmosphere in the room had changed. They hadn't broken eye contact. It seemed as though Vanessa was moving closer when suddenly Dan's room door flew open. Jenny stood in the doorway taking in the scene. She looked angry. _

'_I just came to say good night,' she said breaking the silence. She glared at Vanessa. 'Vanessa, isn't Nate fetching you guys early tomorrow morning?' Jenny said coldly. Vanessa stood up and looked at the siblings. _

'_He is,' she paused and looked at Dan. 'I should go?' she asked it more as question than a statement. Dan considered her for a moment and nodded. Vanessa's eyes trailed to the ground. _

'_Goodnight.' And with that she left. _

_

* * *

_

Vanessa returned to the present moment and stared at Serena. She gave her a small smile.

'Serena-' she began but was interrupted by Chuck.

'The bar is over here.' He called out to the group. Serena looked at Vanessa questionably, who just shook her head and shrugged. Vanessa decided that tonight probably wasn't the best night to get into anything. Serena let it go. She was excited for the next task which turned out to be karaoke. They all had to sing and they all did a shot as well. The task was fun and effortless. They couldn't pick their song and that was the catch. They ended up singing a rather strange song they hadn't heard before. But the crowd loved them. Certain members of the group would dance while others sung and then they would swap. They completed the task quickly. A random guy in the bar had taken photos of them. They all did one more shot and moved on.

'Three more task guys and then we find out where the party is!' Serena exclaimed and then looped her arms with Blair's. The girls went walking ahead laughing about something. Chuck moved over to Archibald's side.

'This was a good idea,' Chuck said and took in his friends look. 'So what's wrong with you?' Nate looked at him and sighed. They had been friends for so long that it was impossible to lie to him.

'I don't know,' Nate said seriously and Chuck raised his eyebrows. 'Something happened. Blair wanted to talk to Dan and Vanessa has been acting weird. Has Blair said anything?' Chuck shook his head.

'Archibald, put it out your mind. Let's just have fun tonight.' Nate nodded and then his eyes landed on Serena and Blair. He laughed. 'It's impossible not to have fun with those two around.' Nate added and motioned his head towards Serena and Blair.

'Don't I know it!' Chuck laughed.

* * *

Dan looked at Vanessa who was playing with her hair. She looked at him.

'Dan,' she tentatively said. 'I want us to try again.' She put a hand up to stop him from talking. 'There was something between us the other night and you know it.' She then walked ahead before Dan could say anything. Dan was momentarily stunned. He then shook his head and walked ahead to catch up with Serena and Blair. They arrived at their next destination. The next task was ironically a drinking game. There was a guy stationed there. He picked Chuck, Serena and Nate to do this task. The three laughed when they found out which drinking game it was. They then informed the others that they were rather skilled at this game and had played it many times. Blair watched with interest and laughed as the three of them played the game. Dan and Vanessa only mildly paid attention to the task, they kept glancing at each other. Blair clapped when the three had successfully won the game. She took a photo of them and walked over. She high-fived Serena and Nate and kissed Chuck who immediately prolonged the kiss.

'Hey! None of that!' Serena replied and broke them apart. They all laughed and moved on. It took them a bit longer to find out where the next clue led to. Eventually they arrived at a pool area. They walked over to a table, where a guy was sitting at. He grinned at them.

'Dudes! Well done! This is the second to last task and if you complete this one and the next you're on to an epic party, Dudes! But before that I need all of your phones. Just a pre-caution.' he sounded high and they all laughed. They all handed him their phones, except Chuck who hadn't brought his with him. They were used to handing over their phones. They had to do it at nearly every task.

'What do we have to do?' Serena asked and grinned. They guy looked at them and took them all in.

'Not "we",' he paused and pointed at Blair. This was one of the tasks where they picked who completed it. 'You!' Blair nodded and moved forward.

'Ok, so what do I have to do?' she asked and the guy looked at her.

'Jump in the pool, get the bottle of champagne that's at the bottom of it and task completed. Fully clothed by the way.' He added the last part when Blair looked like she was about to take her jacket off.

'Oh come on!' She said. 'This took effort,' she said to the guy while motioning at herself. Nate laughed and looked at Chuck- smirks appeared across their faces. Chuck then walked over to Blair and wrapped his arms around her. He began pulling her to the pool.

'Chuck! What are you doing?'

'Just helping you out.'

'No! Come on!' She tried to get out of his grip. But Chuck simply just picked her up. Everyone else was laughing.

'Go Chuck!' Serena, Nate and Dan all yelled out. Chuck was at the edge of the pool and Blair was now laughing. He was about to throw her in. She shook her head.

'If I go, you're coming with.' Chuck laughed and shook his head. What he didn't expect was that when he threw Blair into the pool, she grabbed a hold of his shirt and took him with her. They emerged and Chuck stared at her and then splashed her. She laughed and swam to him, he pulled her closer and she gave him a small kiss. The others (including the other guy in charge of the task) were laughing. Serena looked at them all and then at the guy. She handed him the camera. 'Do you mind taking more photos?' she asked him.

'Nah!'

'Thanks!' and with that Serena ran and jumped into the pool. Blair, Chuck and Serena laughed.

'Wait! I still have to get that bottle of Champagne.' Blair reached under the water and first took her shoes off and threw them out. As she did this, Nate jumped into the pool. Serena swam over to him and dunked him.

'Come on Humprhey! Man up!' Blair yelled and Dan grinned at her and then ran and jumped over her and into the pool.

'Yes! Well done! ' Blair yelled out and Dan then splashed Blair. She laughed, splashed him and then went under water and began looking for the bottle. When she emerged Vanessa was also in the pool. She smiled and looked at the image before her. They were all laughing and all looked happy. She went under water once more and this time emerged with the bottle of champagne. She swam back over to them.

'Task complete!" she called out and they all cheered. She then popped open the bottle of champagne. She took a sip and handed the bottle over to Serena who then also passed it on.

'That was awesome!' They heard the guy say a few minutes later. 'Task complete!' They spent a few more minutes in the pool swimming drinking and having fun. They then got out the pool. Dripping wet. Nate held out his hand when he was out the pool, and helped Serena out. She smiled at him and held on to his hand a little longer than she should have. She was so glad he was there. She had missed having fun with him- with them all- like they were having fun tonight. She was the last out the pool. The guy handed the next clue to Blair and the camera.

'Don't worry, she took a picture of you being thrown into the pool,' he had motioned towards Serena 'and I took a few more photos.'

'Thanks.' Blair said to him and opened the clue. They all tried to dry off a bit- without much success. 'This clue is easy but a bit of a walk.' she said to the others. She read the clue out loud and they all knew where to go. Blair walked over to Chuck, he kissed her forehead.

'You look cold.' he said.

'I wonder why,' she said and they both laughed.

'Come here.' he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they began walking away with the rest of the group. Blair noticed Dan walking alone ahead of them. She looked up at Chuck.

'I'll be back.' he nodded and watched her walk over to Dan. Blair looked to her left and saw Nate and Serena laughing and holding the bottle of champagne. Vanessa was with them but had stayed back surprisingly to walk with Chuck. She caught up with Dan and the two walked quietly together for a bit.

'Having fun?' she asked him after awhile. He nodded.

'Yeah. I am. You?'

'Yep. So tell me Humphrey, why do you look like your contemplating the meaning of life?' Dan gave a small laugh. He decided it might be good to get what was on his mind off his chest.

'Look, I'm going to tell you what happened quickly,' he glanced at the others they were a safe distance away and they still had some distance to cover before they reached their next task. He began to tell her what happened the previous night. What Dan and Blair weren't paying attention to, was Nate. Who had left Serena with Chuck and Vanessa, and was walking towards them, to tell them that they weren't walking in the right direction and to pay attention. However when he reached them he heard Dan's closing comment.

'…and that's when Vanessa told me she wants us to try again.' Nate paused for a moment and took in what he had heard.

'What?' he suddenly said to them. A bit too loudly, he had caught the attention of the others who were now walking towards them. 'Did you just say Vanessa told you she wants you two to try again?' he asked shocked.

'Nate-' Blair tried to get his attention. But he ignored her and posed the question towards Dan again.

'We'll talk about this later,' Dan said seriously.

'No we won't.' Nate firmly said.

'What's going on?' It was Serena who asked the question. Nate turned towards her.

'Ask Dan or better yet, let me ask the girl I'm supposed to be dating.' He turned towards Vanessa.

'Nate, I don't know what you're talking about.' Vanessa said confused.

'Did you tell Dan you wanted you two to try again?' Nate shot at Vanessa. Who was stunned at the question and remained silent.

'What?' This time it was Serena who asked the question. Vanessa looked at Nate and then Serena.

'Listen, I'm sorry, I'm just confused, that almost kiss brought back some unresolved feelings-' Vanessa began but was interrupted by Serena.

'Did you say almost kiss?' Serena's voice was rising.

'Of course.' Nate mumbled out and shook his head. Serena looked towards Dan.

'You almost kissed her? When?' she asked Dan seriously.

'Serena-' Dan began.

'WHEN?' she yelled out, giving them all a bit of a fright. Dan sighed.

'The last night, after the party when Jenny, Vanessa and I went back to my place-' Serena held up a hand. Things were starting to make sense. Why Jenny had been funny with Dan and Vanessa the morning they were leaving. Why she would call Blair. She shook her head.

'Serena,' Dan took a step closer to her. 'Nothing happened. Jenny walked in.'

'And would nothing have happened if she hadn't walked in?' Serena asked Dan and silence just met her question.

'You have to understand, we have a lot of history.' Vanessa was the one to speak out.

'You're supposed to be dating Nate!' Serena yelled out at her.

'Is it true, do you want to try again with Dan?' This time Nate asked Vanessa the question harshly. She stared at him and said nothing and he knew that meant yes.

'Like I said we have a lot of history-' she began once more.

'So do Serena and I! And there hasn't been an almost kiss between us!' Nate shot at Vanessa.

'Yet!' Vanessa was getting angry. 'I see the way you look at her Nate, and I see the way she looks at you!'

'NO! You don't get to turn this around and make this about Nate and me!' Serena said harshly and stepped away from Dan. Chaos then broke out and the four began to argue.

'Calm down, guys!' Blair and Chuck had yelled out trying to stop the fight but they all ignored them.

'Nothing happened!'

'But do you want something TO?'

'I don't know!'

'Well that's just great!'

'It's complicated!'

'NO! it's not!' They all continued arguing. Blair looked once again at them and tried to get them to stop- her attempt failed once more.

'You should know about complicated!'

'What are you saying?' It was with this last statement, when suddenly everyone's phone went off. They all went quiet and took out their phones, except Chuck who didn't have his. It was a Gossip Girl blast. They all read it and suddenly, the tension in the air increased. Serena, Nate, Dan and Vanessa all turned to look at Blair. She was still staring at her phone. She then looked up from her phone and looked at Chuck. He in turn looked at her, taking in her expression. She looked hurt and angry. He was confused and suddenly felt everyone staring at him. Blair scoffed and shook her head. Everyone turned to look back at her. She wiped a tear away that had fallen. She took a step back from the group and then turned and began to walk away.

'Blair!' Chuck yelled out and took a step forward but Dan stepped in front of him. Chuck was beyond confused.

'Blair!' This time it wasn't Chuck who called out her name, but Nate he began to follow her. 'Wait!'

'Nate, we need to sort-' Vanessa quickly said.

'It's over.' Nate looked over his shoulder and said those two words quickly to her. She looked taken aback but didn't say anything. Nate then looked at Chuck and shook his head. He then quickly ran and caught up to Blair. Chuck was still being blocked by Dan but he could still see Nate and Blair walking away. He saw Nate wrap an arm around her shoulders and when he saw her look at him, he could see she was more than upset.

'What just happened?' Chuck harshly asked and looked at Serena. She stepped forward and handed him her phone. He looked at the Gossip Girl blast and every nerve in his body froze when he read the blast and saw the picture. He looked back up and at the other three. The night had just turned into a disaster for all of them.

* * *

**A/N: Ok. Next update should be on Sunday! Also this story has about 5-6 chapters left. I will be re-reading this chapter again, so if there are errors, sorry! Also I did warn you all that there would be tons of drama till the end of the story and this is just the beginning. Hope you liked it. Please review! They make writing so much easier when you know people are enjoying the story. So review! **


	26. The Night Continues

**A/N: Here it is! Enjoy. **

**Thanks to all who reviewed. They were awesome. Please keep reviewing. **

**Flashbacks are in italics.  
**

**Chapter 26: The Night Continues**

Chuck stared at Serena's phone unable to process what he was seeing. It took him a moment to realize that Serena, Dan and Vanessa were still staring at him. He looked at them and gave Serena her phone back.

'There's been a mistake,' he said suddenly said.

'A picture is pretty convincing stuff-' Dan began. He was angry at Chuck. Blair was his best friend and when he saw what had been posted he instantly stepped into the over-protective friend mode. He had the same type of protective attitude that a brother would have with his sister.

'Humphrey, I'm telling you there has been a mistake.' Chuck defended himself. He suddenly looked towards Serena. She stepped towards Chuck and Dan and stepped between them.

'Are you sure?' Serena looked at Chuck intensely.

'I think I would remember that!' Chuck yelled out. 'It's a mistake.' They heard Dan scoff.

'Maybe you should be telling Blair that.' Serena suggested. She could read Chuck like an open book and knew he was telling the truth. She didn't understand how it could have been a mistake- after all pictures don't usually lie. But she trusted Chuck and she trusted herself enough to know when he was lying and when he wasn't. In this instance she truly believed it was the latter and not the former. 'Go.' She added when he didn't move.

'No!' Dan stepped around Serena and faced Chuck once more. 'Leave her alone. You've hurt her enough for one night.' Serena turned towards Dan and shot him a look that clearly showed she was not happy with him.

'Humphrey, you're one to talk,' she motioned at herself and then Vanessa, 'in case you forgot you have your own mess to sort out. Leave Chuck alone.' She finished and crossed her arms- daring him to argue with her. Dan sighed and his head dropped. 'Go!' Serena yelled out at Chuck once more. He looked at her and gave her a small nod. He had no idea where Blair and Nate would have gone to but he was determined to find them…to find her. He left quickly, leaving Serena, Dan and Vanessa all standing there quietly staring at each other.

* * *

Nate sat across from Blair. She was staring into her coffee cup. She hadn't said anything in awhile.

'Blair?' he asked softly and she looked up at him.

'Huh?'

'You ok?' she gave him a small sad smile. 'That was a stupid question.' Nate added and took a sip of his coffee. She considered him for a moment.

'Archibald, are you ok?' Until a moment ago she had forgotten that she wasn't the only one at this table that had, had a great night turn into a terrible one.

'I guess,' he sighed. He hadn't really gathered his thoughts yet. 'I just don't seem to have luck with dating girls.' he added a moment later and shrugged, Blair gave a small laugh.

'Please, there are a line of girls waiting to date you.' she said at an attempt to cheer him up.

'Yes, but never the ones I want.' he somberly replied. She considered him for a moment.

'We aren't talking about Vanessa here are we?'

'No,' he paused. 'Don't get me wrong, what Vanessa did, it hurt. We we're supposed to be trying and all this time she apparently wanted to date your friend.'

'But?' Blair waited.

'But? How is it that Serena is willing to stand their and fight for Dan but when I fought for her…' he trailed off and Blair suddenly realized that Nate still loved Serena and that everything this night would have been twice as hard for him. He lost the girl he was trying so hard to move on with to Dan… which was the guy the girl he loved chose over him. Talk about adding salt to an open wound. Blair suddenly stood up. She had no solutions to either of their problems, but she did know what they could do to at least make this night slightly better.

'Get up, Nate. We're not sitting here, feeling sorry for ourselves anymore.'

'Where are we going?'

'To finish that hunt and go to that party.' She said it with such determination that Nate didn't argue he just stood up. They had never made it to the last station and he was curious to find out what the last task would have been. He wrapped an arm her shoulders and they left the coffee shop they had been at.

'Why is that when we're all together it always ends up badly for you and me?' he asked Blair suddenly.

'Maybe the universe just enjoys forcing us to party together.' He looked at her and then burst out laughing.

* * *

'We need to talk,' Serena said to Dan.

'So do we!' Vanessa added. Dan shook his head, he could not believe he was left to face both Serena and Vanessa in one go. He took a deep breath and considered the situation.

'Serena first,' he turned to Vanessa. 'I'll find you some other time.' Serena turned to Vanessa.

'That means you can leave.' She said harshly to her. Vanessa shook her head but said no more. She simply just left.

'You want to go somewhere else and talk, Serena?'

'No, here will do just fine. So?' she waited for him to say something.

'She's right. We do have a lot of history-'

'Does that mean you do want to try again with her?'

'What does it matter? You and I. We were on our way out anyway.'

'What, Dan? Really is that how you justify almost kissing her?' she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

'Come on, Serena. You and I? We don't do serious. In actual fact this is probably the most serious and honest conversation we've had. Think about it, when that whole thing happened with Nate you didn't tell me about it. You didn't tell me about him and your previous "relationship". And after you picked me, we never spoke about it. We just carried on having fun. And when things weren't fun and problems started to creep in… We didn't talk about any of it. No, I tried to create a fun evening for you to show you that I cared. But relationships aren't just about having fun.' he finished talking hoping he had made sense. She stared at him for a bit.

'Why are you making this about Nate and me? I picked you, Dan! You just said it yourself.' He took a step closer to her.

'Yet, you let him in more than you ever let me-'

'I've known Nate longer!' Serena yelled out and defended herself. 'Is this why an almost kiss happened with you and Vanessa? You figured we were on our way out, that we'd be over soon enough?'

'No!' and Dan meant it when he said no. 'That almost kiss happened because we have some unresolved issues. And that night in my room, it reminded me and her of that fact. And I was in denial about that, but hell tonight really didn't leave any room for denial.' Serena stared at him and felt tears well up in her eyes.

'I can't believe this.' Serena said to him. Dan stared at her.

'Serena, can you honestly tell me you don't have any feelings for Nate? That there is zero chance that you are in love with him?' She remained silent and Dan took a step closer to her. 'I'm not the only one that has some unresolved issues that need to be sorted out. You and I we had our fun. Like I said we don't do serious, see because this, this just became serious. And look what happened? We crumbled.'

'What if tonight hadn't played out like it had? Would you be saying these things to me?'

'I don't know.' Dan truthfully answered. Serena nodded and couldn't help but feel really hurt and sad.

'See you around, Humphrey.' she managed to say and then before he could even think of replying she had walked off. She suddenly had a lot more to think about than she realized. She knew Dan was right about two things: firstly they didn't do serious, they avoided the hard topics. And no relationship can just survive on fun. There needed to be a balance. Secondly, she did have some unresolved issues she needed to sort out with Nate. She realized that a part of her had always been in denial about the feelings she had towards him. She took a deep breath, was she scared of what she felt for Nate? Was that why she had turned away from Nate and had picked Dan? Or should she fight for Dan, try and make it work? She currently couldn't answer any of the questions that were running through her head. She decided it was best to probably just go home, go to sleep and process everything that had happened… tomorrow with a clear head.

* * *

Blair and Nate had managed to complete the last task (which was another drinking game) and had been told were the party was. They had gone to the party and had actually managed to have a decent time. It was after all (they realized) an epic party. They had however decided to call it a night after a few hours. They had just said goodnight and Blair was walking back to her room. She walked up the stairs and started towards her room door, when she saw a figure sitting outside of it, which immediately stopped her in her tracks. Her mind went back to the message that Gossip girl had posted earlier that evening.

_**A little birdie of mine sent me this picture. Apparently Chuck Bass lived up to his reputation last night at the club "Unknown". He even sealed the evening with a kiss! Which leaves me wondering what happened to Blair Waldorf? The two have been inseparable for weeks. Did Bass get bored? I'll be sure to find out. **_

_**You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO**_

_**Gossip Girl **_

_**And underneath that post was a picture of Chuck kissing a girl in the club. She had her hands wrapped around him and he was clearly enjoying the kiss. **_

Chuck looked up and saw Blair standing there. He immediately stood up and began walking towards her. She shook her head and turned to leave.

'Blair!' he yelled and had just reached her. She turned back to face him.

'What are you doing here, Chuck?'

'It was a mistake!' Blair scoffed and turned once more and Chuck grabbed a hold of her arm. He spun her around.

'Chuck, just leave me alone! Don't you get it? I don't want to hear how sorry you are about kissing her. I don't want to hear how it was a mistake and it'll never-'

'No!' he didn't let go of her. 'You don't understand. I didn't kiss that girl last night. That picture it's a lie. I don't know how-'

'Oh! Come on! You can't be serious, Chuck.' her voice was beginning to crack. 'That girl knows you, she came looking for you! Don't lie to me!' Chuck was stunned. He wasn't sure what Blair was referring too.

'What are you talking about, Waldorf?' he asked her seriously. A tear had fallen and with her free hand she wiped it away.

'That night when Nate told me you were back. When I sat outside your room door _waiting_ for you to let me in! She was the girl who came looking for you. Who knocked on your door and called out your name.' Blair's mind went back to that night she waited outside Chuck's door for him to let her in.

_Blair sat there and started to get really angry. She was moments from banging insistently on the door when this girl walked up to Chuck's door. She was tall, dressed in a black dress, had shoulder brown hair and green eyes. She looked at Blair, shrugged and then knocked on Chuck's door calling out his name. 'His not in. So you can leave now.'_

She remembered saying those words to her, lying to her, and she remembered clearly what she looked like. She took out her phone and looked at the Gossip Girl post and picture again. Sure enough there was that same girl kissing Chuck.

'This girl was there that night, she knows you! You've obviously had a thing.' Blair shot back out at Chuck and this time yanked her arm out of his grasp. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

'Yes! I know her; we had a thing like six months ago. That picture is old and I don't know why it looks like we are in "Unknown". That kiss did not happen last night. Blair, please you have to trust me, that picture is a mistake. I did not kiss her.' Blair shook her head.

'Trust you? When you couldn't even trust me enough to tell me what was going on with Midnight?' she scoffed. 'Trust has to be given in order for it to be returned.'

'Blair, please, we can sort this out. I can't lose you.' she shook her head and Chuck held her gaze.

'You don't get it? You broke my heart, Chuck.' With that sentence, she felt herself break and the tears came rushing out. 'You broke my heart and I can't keep giving it to you.' Chuck took a step closer to her. He tried to wipe the tears away; he then pulled her to him. And she let him for a moment but she pulled away. 'I can't.' She looked at him. 'I can't trust you.' She wiped her tears away and then broke the eye contact they had going on. She was surprised at how hurt Chuck looked. They both just stood there for a moment not saying anything. Blair then began to walk to her room and when she passed Chuck she felt his fingers lightly graze hers. She opened her door without looking back, entered and shut it quickly. She leaned against it and trailed to the floor. She buried her head in her hands. Every inch of her hurt and every inch of her wanted him back, wanted him to be telling the truth. She also knew though that she didn't want to open herself up to feeling this bad again. She realized she didn't know how to love Chuck and protect herself too.

* * *

Chuck walked back to his room. He couldn't believe how this night had turned out. One thing he was certain of, was that he would fight for Blair and prove to her that there had been a mistake. He didn't know how. He didn't care right now. All he knew, for certain right then, was that he was not willing to lose her.

* * *

**A/N: Please review! Next update will be on Wednesday or Thursday. I know this chapter didn't have a lot of chair interaction... but don't worry even though they aren't happy chair right now, they will be interacting more in the upcoming chapters. Let me know what you think and review! **


	27. The Beginning of the End

**_A_**_/**N: Here it is! Sorry I didn't post on Wednesday but I did say either Wednesday or Thursday. Although it is rather late on Thursday. Sorry!**_

_**Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Really guys, thank you to all who review. They are awesome! Please keep reviewing.  
**_

**Chapter 27: The Beginning of the End**

**A few days later**

Blair walked out of her lecture and left the building quickly. To say that lecture was boring would be an understatement. As she walked outside the building though she saw a figure leaning up against a tree- a figure she expected to see. That same figure almost tempted her enough to walk back into the building she desperately wanted to leave. She took a deep breath and didn't even try to avoid him this time around.

'Chuck, aren't you bored of following me around?' she said once she reached him. He looked at his watch and then at her.

'Your lecture doesn't end for another fifteen minutes.'

'I left. I see you've mastered stalking.' Blair began to walk away and she knew Chuck would follow her. He'd been following her and waiting for her at every possibly opportunity he could get. At first his persistence just made Blair feel sadder. She didn't want a constant reminder of what she lost. Now, well now, it didn't really faze her. Or at least she was trying hard not to let it faze her.

'I won't stop until you listen to me.' Chuck said once he was walking next to her.

'I've listened to you-'

'But you don't believe me, Waldorf!'

'Do you blame me? You're telling me the picture is a fake but you can't prove it.'

'Yet!' Blair scoffed. She wasn't looking at him but she could tell he was looking at her.

'It's not that far fetched of an idea,' Chuck said and tried to grab her hand but she wouldn't let him.

'Ah yeah, it actually is, Chuck. Especially considering it's you. "Chuck Bass" isn't just your name it's a reputation.' She shot right back at him.

'So my past actions make it hard for you to believe me?'

'Well done, Bass! Crazy idea right?' Blair said sarcastically and finally glanced at him.

'Actually yes, I don't understand why you just can't-' Chuck was cut off mid sentence when Blair yelled out Nate's name. He looked ahead and noticed Nate. He was now walking towards them.

'You beckoned?' Nate asked Blair slightly amused. He knew what Chuck had been doing these past few days, so seeing them together didn't really surprise him.

'I need your opinion,' Blair began and pointed at Chuck. 'He doesn't understand why I don't believe that, that picture is a fake. Especially without proof-' Chuck interrupted Blair.

'I can't get proof until I know who is behind the picture.'

'Do you think it's unreasonable that I don't believe him? Considering he has a rather um… let's say…intricate past.' Blair finished, and folded her arms. She was glancing between Nate and Chuck. They had all stopped walking. Nate in turn was glancing between Blair and Chuck.

'Yeah, do I really want to get into the middle of this?' Nate asked himself and then began shaking his head. 'No, no I don't. Sorry. Can't argue with myself.' he said to them both. Blair cocked her head at him and he looked at Chuck who was smirking at him.

'If Archibald really thought I was lying, he would have taken your side.' Chuck spoke up.

'You can read his mind now?' Blair shot back.

'Practically, I have known him for most of his life.' Blair shook her head and took a step closer to Chuck. A silence fell among them for a moment. She took another step closer to Chuck. She was angry now.

'Do you remember the night we became official?' she asked him the question but didn't wait for him to respond. 'I asked you what would happen, if you couldn't stay away from other girls. If I remember correctly, you're exact words in reply to that was, "Then you have free reign to do whatever is necessary to get back at me." ' she took another step towards him. 'If you don't stop this. I'm going to take you up on that offer.' she said seriously. 'You don't want to go to war with me, Chuck.'

'What makes you so certain of that, Blair?' he asked her.

'Because, you know that I'm probably the only person that could actually destroy you. You shouldn't sleep with the enemy; it gives them all sorts of advantages.' She raised her eyebrows and gave him a cheeky smile. Chuck knew she was being serious and he didn't like it, but he also knew how to work this situation to his advantage. To diffuse it.

'Waldorf, you weren't ever the enemy but you are right sleeping with you certainly came with all sort of advantages-' she interrupted him this time.

'I want to tell you to bite me but-' she began but once again Chuck interrupted her.

'But you know you enjoyed that.' Chuck finished off her sentence. Nate laughed and the two suddenly realized he was still standing there. She considered Chuck for a moment; she really was beyond irritated now.

'I'm being serious Bass, stop it, because if you carry on I will take you down.' At this point Nate stepped in between the two of them.

'This is the point where we leave.' He said to Blair.

'Archibald, since when are your alliances with her?' Chuck asked him and tore his eyes away from Blair for a second.

'I can't help it, that bottle of tequila really sealed our friendship.' Blair laughed. She knew Nate was referring to the other party they had a few nights ago. Chuck looked at them and shook his head. Blair then linked her arm with Nate.

'You've been warned, Chuck.' she said and then before he could respond, she walked away and dragged Nate with her.

'What happened to being hurt?' Nate asked her a moment later.

'Yeah, I'm over being hurt, I'm angry now.' she replied and turned to Nate.

'Have you spoken to Serena yet?' he shook his head. Blair had spoken to Dan and she knew that him and Serena had broken up. She had told Nate that they had broken up, but when ever Blair tried to get him to talk about, what that meant for him he would change the topic. She eventually gave up and just kept trying to get him to talk to Serena. 'This week sometime, go talk to her. Man up and just do it.' Nate raised his eyebrows at her.

'Ever heard of being subtle?' he asked and ran a hand through his hair. He knew he needed to talk to Serena. He was just trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say to her.

'Why would I be subtle, when I enjoy being blunt so much more?' The two then changed the topic and went and got coffee. The lectures for the day were over. After about forty minutes Blair had to go met Dan so the two went their separate ways.

* * *

Dan gave Blair a hug when he saw her. She returned the hug and then broke away and looked at him seriously.

'How are you doing?' Dan had told her what happened that night between him and Serena. And even though the break-up was technically Dan's idea she knew it would still be hard for him.

'Ok,' he answered honestly and sat down on his couch. Blair followed his lead and sat down as well. 'I need your advice.' he told her seriously.

'About?'

'What do you think I should do about Vanessa?' Blair remained silent. She looked at Dan and then at her hands. Her head was screaming that Dan should just leave Vanessa alone. However she was his friend and knew what he was like. So she sighed and looked back up at him and said this instead.

'Dan, I can't answer this for you. What I can tell you is that, you won't ever be able to move past this, if you don't sort through whatever you need to sort through.' Dan considered Blair for a moment and knew that he had to go talk to Vanessa. The two spent some time together and watched a DVD at the end of it, Blair left to go get some work done for tomorrow. Dan however walked over to Vanessa's room.

* * *

He knocked on her door and she opened within seconds. He hadn't seen her since the night of the scavenger hunt. Vanessa stared at Dan- she was surprised to see him. A moment later she moved aside and let him enter her room. They walked a bit further in. They then turned and faced each other.

'How have you been?' Dan asked her, once the silence became too much.

'Just great.' Vanessa replied sarcastically. 'What are you doing here?' she asked him a moment later. She was really not in the mood to beat around the bush. Dan looked away from her.

'I broke up with Serena,' he said and looked back at her. He could tell she was surprised.

'Oh,' Vanessa began and then paused. 'Does this… does this mean you want to try again?' she asked him softly. Dan sat down and so did Vanessa.

'It means that I couldn't be with her, when I knew I had other stuff to sort out.' he knew why him and Serena broke up was more complicated than that, but he didn't feel like explaining it to Vanessa.

'Oh.' she said softly and broke the eye contact and she looked at the floor. 'Why are you here?' she asked him once more.

'Because, I want to know, why you slept with my then best friend Craig a week after I told you I loved you.' Vanessa was stunned she hadn't expected this. Dan and Vanessa had been going out for almost nine months. One night he had told her he loved her. A week later she cheated on him with his friend. When he had found out, they had ended and had simply not spoken about it ever. It took some time but eventually Dan just started to talk to her once again- he had put her back into the mode of friend. Never mentioning what she had done. Tonight was the first time he had ever asked her about it. She looked at him not knowing where to begin. She suddenly knew they were in for a long night.

* * *

Serena sighed, frustrated, and closed the laptop. She turned to Chuck.

'I'm getting nowhere,' she said and quickly continued before he could, 'We aren't going to find out who fabricated that photo this way.' she said it so sternly that Chuck didn't even think of arguing with her. 'Cant you talk to the girl in the photo?' she asked him a moment later.

'I did, she doesn't know anything about it.' Chuck had gone to her first and had come back with nothing. Serena was currently the only person willing to help him prove the photo was a fake. Chuck figured the main contributing factor that Serena was helping him was because it provided her with a distraction. She got up and went to get a bottle of water.

'Ok,' she said and threw a bottle towards Chuck. 'We need to think of this in a different way. Who would have any reason to break you and Blair up? Who would be able to come up with something like this?' Chuck stared at Serena and contemplated what she had said. He then moved to the computer and brought up the Gossip Girl site. He scrolled threw the posts of the past few days. Something dawned on him.

'Serena,' he turned the laptop towards her. 'The past few Gossip Girl posts have been Blair orientated.'

'What?' Serena asked him.

'Look at them, every subsequent post after the one from the scavenger hunt, has been about Blair and not me. Who ever is feeding these lies to Gossip Girl, their aim wasn't just to break me and Blair up. It's to hurt Blair.' Serena considered what he had been saying and then walked to the computer. She read over the posts that had anything to do with Blair and when she was done she looked back at Chuck.

'Ok, you may have a point. But again, who would be able to pull this off and who would have any reason to do this?' Chuck thought back to the a few days ago and something suddenly became very obvious to him.

'I know who.' he said. He was mentally kicking himself for not thinking of this earlier.

* * *

After Chuck had told Serena who he thought could be behind it all, they sat for awhile longer and considered other alternatives incase his initial guess was incorrect. It was relatively late now and she was heading back to her dorm. When she got there however she couldn't find her keys to get into her room. She tried to find her supervisor- who had spare keys- but couldn't find her. She called Chuck to see if she had left her keys there but she hadn't. She back tracked and tried to see if she dropped her keys but couldn't find them. The only option left was crashing with someone else for the night until she could find the supervisor in the morning. She really didn't want to stay at Chuck's. Blair was across campus and Serena didn't feel like going that far. Dan and Vanessa were a definite no. She sighed; it left one person…Nate. He was close and she didn't mind staying with him. She had done it multiple times before. However with her possible unresolved feelings, she wasn't sure it was the best idea. She considered going to Blair's again but really did not want to walk across campus alone when it was this late and pitch black. After a few minutes she finally decided to go to Nate's. She reached his room door and had to take two deep breaths before she knocked. She knocked relatively softly and waited a few moments. She was about to turn away, when Nate opened the door. He rubbed his eyes sleepily.

'Serena?' he asked and looked at her questioningly.

'I can't find my keys, I need somewhere to stay-' she didn't have to say anything more. Nate simply stepped aside. She moved into his room and they stared at each other a bit awkwardly. Nate was surprised at her appearance but couldn't help but be slightly glad that she had come to him.

'I'm sorry, I woke you,' Serena eventually said.

'Don't worry about it. Come on.' he said and then motioned to the bedroom. Once inside Nate found a shirt of his and some black sweatpants. He gave them to her and she went to the bathroom and changed into them. She had to roll the sweatpants up so they didn't keep falling off. However she was very grateful she wouldn't have to sleep in her clothes- she knew that would have been rather uncomfortable. She emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and saw Nate still standing in his room. He looked at her and couldn't help but like the sight of her in his clothes. He cleared his head though.

'I can sleep on the couch-' Nate began offering.

'Don't be silly.' Serena said and moved to the side of the bed she knew he didn't sleep on. Nate moved to the other side and got back into bed. He then switched off the side lamp he had on.

'Night,' Serena said softly.

'Night.' Nate replied. They didn't say anything more and he was beginning to fall asleep when he suddenly felt Serena's hand take hold of his. He glanced at his side but it was so dark he couldn't tell if she was awake or asleep. Nevertheless he didn't push her hand away. He fell asleep and during the night old habits took over, from when Serena used to spend the night. She moved closer to him and Nate to her. Eventually he had one arm wrapped around her and she was leaning her head against his chest.

* * *

**_A/N: I am loving that a lot of you are enjoying the Nate and Blair friendship. I must admit I do enjoy writing those two in this fic. So the fact that people like the Nair friendship really makes me happy. To be truthfully honest when I planned this fic out, I hadn't planned on a Nair friendship my focus was on the Dair friendship but I couldn't help it. The more Nair friendship I wrote, the more I liked them. But just so that everyone is clear, Chair is end game for this fic. I stated this very early on and I haven't changed that. So no Nair hook-up in this fic. Next update will be Sunday or Monday. Not a lot of chapters left. Please review let me know what you think! A huge thanks to everyone who have been reviewing! _**

**_Also there is a possibility that I'll be doing a sequel to College Trials. Not straight away. But if I do the sequel Jenny and Eric will be in it and Georgina will become a main character- I think. With this in mind there is a chance that in the final chapter I may add something that will leave it open to a sequel. Don't worry it won't be anything major. Besides this I have another idea for a Gossip Girl fic. This one will be have the group in school and like this fic the friendships will be different. The main pairing for this future fic- I'm still deciding on. _**

**_Anyway! I've rambled enough!_**

**_Review please!  
_**


	28. Here we Are Start the Battle

**A/N: I'm so sorry I have taken this long to update College Trials. Honestly, I had**** a bit of writers block and could just not write a chapter which I was happy with. **

**Thanks to all who review! Please Keep reviewing.**

**Chapter 28: Here we are- Start the Battle**

Serena woke up, and turned over and felt her hand collide with something hard. She looked to her side and registered that she was next to Nate. She unconsciously left her hand on his chest. She stared at him for a bit and realized she hadn't felt this relaxed in awhile. She sighed and finally sat up. She got out of bed and went to find her phone. She had some time before she had to go to any lectures. She looked around, not sure what to do. She finally decided she should probably go find her supervisor, and get her to help her get into her room. She was about to head to the bathroom when Nate stepped into the room yawning. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled at Serena.

'Morning,' she began and shifted back from the spot she was standing at, 'Thanks for letting me stay here last night.' She smiled at Nate.

'No problem.' was his reply. They stared silently at each other for awhile and Serena couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. She wasn't sure what to do now. Just then however Nate made his way over to the kitchen and began making coffee. She stood for a moment before following him.

'I'm going to go try find my supervisor, and get the keys for my room. So I'll see you later?' Serena stood in front of the one counter, and watched while he moved around the kitchen. He paused when she had finished talking and looked back at her. He shook his head.

'No. Have some coffee, cereal and then we'll go find your supervisor.' Nate proposed the counter offer. Serena tilted her head and looked at him.

'You don't have to come with me…' she trailed off and considered him for a moment longer than was necessary. 'Actually you do.' Nate laughed at this sudden change.

'And why's that?' Serena smiled.

'My supervisor is a girl, and she's always a lot a more helpful if there's a guy around.'

'You're pimping me out?' Nate laughed and shook his head at her.

'No, I'm simply using your advantages for my benefit.'

'Same thing!' Nate exclaimed. Serena took a sip of her coffee and grinned.

'I know but my explanation, just sounds a lot better.' Nate shook his head again and returned the grin. He was glad that they could sit here and laugh together, and not be consumed by any awkwardness that the previous night may have stirred up between them.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

Blair sat down on the bench and took a sip of her coffee. She looked up at the sky- which was growing steadily darker. She inwardly hoped that it wasn't going to start raining anytime soon. Her phone began to ring- distracting her from her thoughts. She checked the caller I.D. it was Chuck. She hesitated before answering.

'You don't give up do you?' she said into the phone and waited to hear his response.

'I need to talk to you.' Was his reply, Blair sat up straight, he sounded extremely serious.

'What's wrong?'

'Where can I find you?'

'Chuck, I'm meeting Dan soon. Can we-'

'Blair.' Chuck said cutting her off. 'Please.' She sighed and told him where she was. He told her he'd be there soon. They ended the call. Blair sat back and then shifted her position; she took a sip of her coffee trying to calm her sudden nerves. Three minutes later another figure approached the bench and sat down. He sighed and Blair looked to her right. It was Dan.

'What happened to you?' she asked him, she noted that he looked extremely tired. He shrugged and opened his bottle of water.

'Went out last night to this party.'

'Oh.' Blair replied and studied him further. 'Hey! Why wasn't I invited?'

'It was a spur of the moment decision. Actually I didn't expect to land up where I landed up.'

'Ok, Humphrey, start from the beginning. What happened?' Dan looked at his friend and then sat a bit forward, resting his head in hands for a second.

'I went to talk to Vanessa last night and I finally came to the conclusion that Vanessa and I…' the rest of his sentence was drowned out by Chuck calling out Blair's name on his arrival. Dan had abruptly stopped talking and looked at Blair then Chuck. Blair's eyes trailed away from Dan and rested on Chuck.

'Sorry about the interruption, Humphrey.' Chuck said towards Dan- who just shrugged. He really was a bit to hangover to have any real emotions about anything today.

'What's going on?' Blair asked Chuck and stood up to face him. Dan kept sitting and continued to watch the interaction.

'I know who posted that picture.' Blair and Dan scoffed at the same time. Chuck looked from one to the other and chose to ignore their reactions. 'Someone is out to get you, Blair.'

'And that lead to them posting a picture about you?' Blair questioned.

'Yes. Post that picture, destroy us, hurt you. Think about the last few Gossip Girl posts, a lot of them have been orientated about you.'

'That's not unusual,' Dan interrupted and sat a bit forward. 'Blair is a common occurrence on Gossip Girl.'

'Humphrey, has a point.' Blair agreed. Chuck exhaled in frustration.

'Are they always that negative?' He shot out and before Blair replied he continued. 'Someone is out to get you, Blair and they are using Gossip Girl to do it. They posted that fake picture of me.' He finished and took a step closer to her.

'You obviously have some idea about who this person is,' Blair began and folded her arms. 'Otherwise you wouldn't be standing here right now.' She concluded. She knew Chuck a bit to well; to know what she had just said was right.

'I do.' he confirmed her suspicions.

'Well, are you going to tell us who you think it is?' Dan added a moment later in annoyance- Chuck was taking a long time to get to his point.

'Georgina Sparks.' Chuck said to them both and held Blair's gaze. She gave a short laugh.

'Chace's sister?' she questioned uncertainly.

'Think about it, you hurt Chace, she overheard me asking you to go to Unknown with me. She knew when I would be there. She has the abilities to pull off something like this Blair; she's manipulative and has contacts.' Blair considered this for a moment and thought back to the day Chuck had asked her to go to the club with him.

_Blair had felt someone kiss her on her cheek. She had looked up and smiled at Chuck. He sat down next to her. She leaned in and gave him a proper kiss. They broke apart and Chuck had tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear._

_'I was thinking about heading to the club 'Unknown' tomorrow night. You want to join?' Chuck had asked her and Blair sighed._

_'I can't, I have this assignment I need to finish-' was her reply, she was about to continue when someone interrupted her._

_'I'll go with you.' Some voice had said and they both turned to stare at a brown haired girl._

_'Who are you?' Blair had asked._

_'Georgina,' the girl replied. 'Chace's brother. I see you make it a habit… rejecting guys that is.' She said directly to Blair…_

Blair sighed. Georgina did know where Chuck would have been, and when he would have been at the club. She also noted that Georgina hadn't been particularly friendly towards her, and she had made a reference to her 'breaking-up' with Chace. She ran a hand through her hair, shocked at this current revelation. She stared at Chuck for a few moments- she had wanted that picture to be a fake ever since it had been posted. If it was a fake and if what Chuck was saying had any truth to it- she was sure as hell going to find out.

'It's plausible.' Blair finally said to Chuck and then turned to Dan, who stood up and went to stand next to Blair.

'Well, we should pay her a visit then,' Dan said to Blair.

'Yes, shall we go now?' Blair suggested.

'Yes.' Chuck concluded. They all stared at each other for a moment. Blair finally began to walk away, and the boys followed a few seconds later.

* * *

Serena shifted the books she had in her one arm to the other arm; she then reached into her a pocket and took out her phone. She opened the message she had just received. It was from Nate. She laughed once she read it. This morning he had to flirt excessively with her supervisor to get her to help Serena. He had done what was needed without a word of complaint and now he had sent her message, telling her that she owed him and that he was extremely bored in the library. She typed a quick reply and then headed over to one of the campus shops. She bought two ice creams and then headed over to the library. She messaged him to come outside. Two minutes later he was outside and walking towards her with a huge grin on his face. He stopped in front of her and she gave him one of the ice creams.

'Consider this my payment for this morning,' she said and then smiled at him.

'You did pick a good flavour,' he replied and began to eat the ice cream. 'Thanks for the distraction.'

'Not a problem. Feel like going to play pool for a bit?' There was a bar on campus which you could play pool at during the day.

'Of course, don't want to pass up an opportunity to beat you at something, Van der Woodsen.' She laughed.

'Archibald, do you remember who taught you how to play pool?' she asked and he kept quiet. 'Yeah.' She added and laughed. They began walking to the bar. They were about to cut across the courtyard, when Serena stopped laughing and stopped walking. Nate immediately stopped as well and stared at her.

'Uh Serena?' he asked, not sure why she had suddenly stopped walking. She looked at him and then pointed to the opposite side of the courtyard. He looked across the courtyard and saw Chuck, Blair and Dan. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

'Let's go say hi,' he said and took a step forward. Serena nodded and they crossed the courtyard. Both were feeling a little bit tense- especially Serena who hadn't seen Dan since things ended between them. They made their way across quickly, Chuck, Blair and Dan had stopped walking when they had seen them. They reached them in a matter of moments.

'Hey guys,' Serena said when they reached them. She just jumped straight in, as an attempt to avoid any awkwardness. 'What are you guys doing?' she asked and looked at Chuck.

'Going to see Georgina.' Chuck supplied as the answer.

'Georgina?' Nate asked.

'Chuck thinks she's behind the photo and the recent Gossip Girl posts of me.' Blair answered and went to give him a hug hello. 'What are you guys up to?' she then asked Nate. He titled his head and looked at Serena.

'Coming with you guys to talk to Georgina as of a few seconds ago,' Nate improvised, he wasn't sure why, but he thought telling them they were going to hang out wasn't the best idea. Especially because he wasn't sure how Serena wanted to handle Dan- he knew they had broken up but he hadn't spoken to Serena about any of it.

'Yeah, I'd like to hear what she has to say about this.' Serena gave Nate a half smile and walked over to Chuck. She interlinked her arm with his.

'Bass, I do hope your theory is right.' She said to him and they began walking away. She had been helping him the past few days and she therefore knew how hard Chuck had been trying to prove that this photo was a fake. Nate began to follow and for a moment Blair stayed behind with Dan.

'You ok?' she asked him. He looked at her.

'I really am.' He said honestly to Blair. She walked over to him and interlinked her arm with his. They followed the rest of the group. Blair looked up at Dan.

'If you weren't ok you would tell me right?'

'I wouldn't have to tell, you would be able to tell if I wasn't.' Dan replied and nudged Blair. She smiled at him.

'That's true,' she said and then looked over at Nate. 'I'm going to go talk to Nate for a second.' Dan nodded and Blair caught up with Nate.

'So what were you two going to do?' she asked him once he reached her side. Nate looked over at her and sighed.

'Just going to play some pool,' he said and then looked at Serena and sighed again.

'Have you spoken to her yet?'

'There's nothing to talk about, Blair.'

'Denial is a lonely place, Nate.'

'She doesn't know what she wants, Blair, and I don't know if I can put myself out there and get hurt again.'

'So you would rather spend time with her and not tell her how you feel?' Nate looked at her and gave her his classic annoyed expression. She smirked at him.

'You think Chuck may be right about Georgina being behind this?' Blair asked him as a way to change the subject. He looked back at her.

'You know I don't think that picture is real, Chuck was right, if I thought he was lying I would have told you-'

'I know, but it's still hard to overlook something that is proven by a picture you know, Archibald?'

'That I do, but you should trust him. And for your sake I really hope his right about Georgina.'

'My sake?' Blair questioned his comment.

'Come on, Blair, you've put on a brave face but I know not having Chuck around has been hard on you.' Nate nudged his friend.

'You sound so sure of that?' she softly said to him.

'I do have experience when it comes to wanting someone that, you just can't have around you.' This time Blair nudged him.

'Don't give up, Archibald.'

'So where is Georgina?' Nate changed the topic.

'Chuck found out that she's in her dorm room.'

'Did he found out where her room is?'

'I did that part.' Blair laughed. Three minutes later they all arrived outside of Georgina's room. Blair made her way to the front and stood beside Chuck.

'Well?' she asked him; he looked at her and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear (he was surprised she was letting him touch her) and rested his hand on her cheek. Blair moved a little bit into his touch.

'Here goes.' He said and turned and knocked on the door. They waited a few moments and then the door swung open and revealed Georgina to them.

'Uh?' Georgina eloquently said when she saw them all outside her door. A few moments later she focused her attention on Chuck and Blair. 'What are you doing here?' she asked them specifically.

'We want to talk to you about that fake picture you posted of Chuck on Gossip Girl.' Blair jumped right in. Georgina focused on her; she titled her head and gave her a cheeky smile.

'I have no idea what you're talking about,' Georgina said.

'Of course you don't,' Chuck countered. 'Except I know it was you.'

'If you knew, you wouldn't be standing here, trying to get me to confess to something I have no idea about.' She shrugged. Blair studied her.

'You did do it,' she said and stepped forward. 'I know that look. You will regret this.' Georgina laughed.

'I don't regret anything,' she stepped back. 'And you can't prove anything.' This time Serena stepped forward. She pointed at Chuck.

'His Chuck Bass,' she paused and pointed at Blair, 'and she's Blair Waldorf. If they want to prove it, they'll prove it.'

'And you're only Georgina Sparks. Which means they'll take you down easily once they've proven it…' Nate added.

'You picked the wrong battle.' Dan added in a moment later.

'And messed with the wrong couple.' Chuck finally concluded. His statement caused Blair to look at him. He looked back at her. A smile spread across her face and she took a hold of his hand.

'I still have no idea what you're talking about.' Georgina said and stepped back into her room- she gave them all one last look that clearly said "she didn't care" and then closed the door. They all looked at each other for a moment and then turned and left.

'How are you going to prove this?' Dan asked once they were out of the building.

'We ideally need something to hold over Georgina, to get her to confess.' Blair said and looked at Chuck. Serena suddenly remembered something.

'Awhile back Georgina was on the phone with someone named Chris, she seemed pretty upset. Maybe that will help?' Serena was thinking back to when she came out of her door room and saw Georgina on the phone. She remembered hearing the name Chris and nothing else.

'That will help. Thanks, Van der Woodsen.' Chuck said and looked at Blair- she was still holding his hand.

'Shall we go sort this out?' he asked Blair quietly. She looked back at the other three and then turned back to him.

'Yeah. But give me a second I want to talk to Serena and Dan.' She was reluctant to let go of Chuck's hand. 'I'm sorry, I didn't believe you.'

'We haven't proven anything yet, Waldorf.' Chuck replied and looked down. 'What if we can't prove it?'

'It won't matter.' Blair said and stopped walking. She looked seriously at Chuck. 'Meet you back at your dorm?' He nodded and kissed her forehead. He walked ahead. Leaving Blair to talk to the others.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I am sad to announce that College Trials only has two chapters left. I am thinking of writing a sequel to it. Also I have posted another Gossip Girl fic: "Rivals Make the Best Allies"- and will concentrate on this one before I start the sequel. So check that fic out please. I must say I never thought this fic would get this many reviews and really honestly thank you to all who have reviewed. And to the constant reviewers you guys are amazing! **

**I am going to update College Trials either on Monday or Tuesday and I think I may post the final two chapters at the same time. I promise there won't be a long wait for the last two chapters. **

**:) Please review  
**


	29. The Final Few Moments

**A/N: Here it is, the second last chapter. :( Please Review! And thanks to all who have!**

**Chapter 29: The Final Few Moments**

Blair turned around to the other three who had stopped walking. She walked forward towards them.

'Chuck and I are going to sort this out, but um,' Blair hesitated, 'Serena, Dan, can I talk to you for a second? Uh separately?' They stayed silent and Nate laughed.

'I feel left out,' Nate said and filled the silence.

'I feel nervous,' Serena laughed and nudged Nate. Dan shook his head.

'I'll go first.' Dan suggested and he and Blair walked off to the side.

'We never finished our conversation about Vanessa…' Blair began she wanted to know what was going on with Dan before she spoke to Serena.

'We didn't get back together,' Dan rushed out. 'I just couldn't see myself with Vanessa again.'

'Do you want to get back together with Serena?' Blair asked and was surprised at how relieved she was that Dan and Vanessa had not gotten back together.

'No,' he sighed, 'I think I need to be single for awhile and figure things out.' He paused and looked back at Nate and Serena. 'Plus, I think those two need to take a chance on each other.' She smiled at her friend.

'Humphrey, I'm proud of you.' Dan laughed.

'I do try, Waldorf.' Blair then stepped forward and gave Dan a hug. He returned it.

'Keep me posted about what happens with Georgina?' he said while hugging his friend.

'Of course, I will.' Blair replied and finally broke the hug.

'I'm going to leave before I get left with Nate and Serena,' he said and smiled. 'I'm still not that comfortable being left alone with them.' Blair nodded.

'See you later, Humphrey.' And with that Dan walked off. Blair watched him and smiled. She really was proud of him; he finally realized that what Vanessa did wasn't that forgivable and that he honestly did deserve someone who was completely enthralled by him. The fact that he also understood how Serena and Nate needed to take a chance on each other really made Blair proud of him. Not a lot of people could be this levelheaded about such things. It was of the main reasons she loved having Dan as a friend- he was a much needed voice of reason and he could apply that ability to reason within his own situations. She made her way back over to Serena and Nate.

'This won't take long,' Blair said to Nate. Serena smiled and she and Blair went off to the side.

'What's going on, Blair?' Serena asked a bit concerned.

'Serena, I am honestly sorry for doing this now, but I just have to…' she trailed off and took a deep breath. 'Nate loves you Serena,' Blair watched a shocked expression cross Serena's face. 'And as his friend, I'm telling you, you need to make a choice now. Either take a chance on Nate or let him get over you.'

'I just broke up with Dan-'

'Serena, don't use Dan as an excuse. He deserves better than that and so does Nate. Time to either fight or walk away, S. What does Nate mean to you? You need to decide before it's too late.' Blair ended and gave her one nod. 'I'm going to go to Chuck now.' She squeezed Serena's arm. 'Good luck.' With that she waved at Nate and then turned to leave. Serena was processing everything she had just been told when she felt Nate approach her.

'What was that about?' Nate asked her.

'Nothing, just some girl talk,' she looked over Nate. 'Still feel like playing pool?' She asked him.

'Definitely!' he smiled at her and the two began to walk away. Serena noted how much darker the sky was growing the later it was getting. She figured it was going to storm tonight.

* * *

Blair stopped off at her room and got her laptop. She then walked over to Chuck's room and knocked on the door. She couldn't help but feel nervous- she hadn't been alone with Chuck in awhile. He opened the door a few moments later and immediately stepped aside. Blair entered the room. They headed further in. She set her laptop down and then turned to face Chuck. He sighed. Blair walked over to him and closed the space between them. She pulled him into a kiss to which he immediately responded. A few minutes later they broke apart.

'I missed that,' Blair said and rested a hand on his chest. 'I really am sorry.' Chuck tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

'Waldorf, I understand why it was hard for you to believe me, it really is ok.' He kissed her forehead. 'I'm just glad I have you back.' Blair smiled up at him.

'Let's get to work.' She said a moment later and moved to the couch and took out her laptop. Chuck laughed and nodded.

'Ok.' Chuck went to his bedroom and began working on his laptop there. They decided that Blair would try and find out who Chris was, and Chuck would work out how Georgina constructed the picture. Thirty minutes later a huge smile spread across Blair's face. She picked the laptop up and went into the bedroom. She went and sat down next to Chuck.

'I found our Chris,' she showed him the laptop. 'It seems Georgina was involved with someone she really shouldn't have been involved with.'

'You're amazing,' Chuck commented- he was surprised at just how quick Blair could work. 'I know who to call to find out who she used for that photo,' Chuck added a few minutes later.

'This went quicker than I expected,' Blair said and smiled. She then looked down and back at Chuck who was grinning at her. He pulled her a bit closer to him.

'What will we do to fill the spare time?' he asked her and she laughed.

'I'm not sure,' she said and repositioned herself so she was sitting on top of Chuck. 'But, I think I could I think of a few things.' Chuck grinned at her and pulled her into a kiss. His one hand ran up her thigh and up her back, finally resting on her neck.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later **

Serena sunk the 8 ball and laughed. Nate sighed and shook his head.

'How many times have I beaten you now?' Serena asked and took a sip of her drink.

'You're so modest,' Nate responded and also took a sip of his drink. Serena laughed.

'And you do not like loosing!' They decided to stop playing pool and went and found a table to finish their drinks at. Twenty minutes later their drinks were finished and Serena looked at the time. It was already night time and would be relatively dark outside.

'I should probably go and do some work,' she said softly. Nate nodded and looked at the time.

'Yes, we probably should.' They both stood up. Nate put a hand on the small of Serena's back, letting her walk first. They emerged outside a few moments later and Serena immediately wanted to go back inside. It was freezing. Nate noticed this and having no jacket to offer her- he simply just wrapped an around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She smiled up at him.

'Thanks.' They began to walk away and suddenly Blair's words came back to Serena. She did have a decision to make and she suddenly realized that she might have made this decision without realizing. Everything about Nate drew Serena to him. She loved how calm he made her, how much fun she could have with him, how she could completely be herself around him. It had taken her a long time to realize the feelings she had been denying. She sighed and stopped walking in the middle of the courtyard they were crossing.

'Nate, I need to ask you something,' Serena said and stepped in front of him and turned to face him. Some thunder sounded then and Nate looked up.

'Serena, it's about to start raining.' She shook her head.

'I don't care. If I don't do this now, I'm going to loose my nerve.'

'Ok…' Nate uncertainly said.

'I need to know,' Serena began and paused she took a deep breath and looked back at Nate. 'How you feel about me?' Nate stared at her shocked and she kept staring at him expectantly. It then began to pour. They were soaked in a matter of moments.

'Serena, it's raining,' Nate said. He honestly had not expected this.

'We're soaked already.' She replied. 'Nate, please.' He stared at her, unable to quite formulate the thoughts running through his head. Her eyes were pleading with him. His heart was racing but he remained silent for a few more moments.

'What would you say if I asked you the exact same question?' Nate asked Serena- it was raining hard and because of this he had to raise his voice. Serena flinched at how harsh the question had sounded. Her head dropped and when she looked back up at Nate, she looked sad.

'This is never going to work,' she responded loudly so the rain didn't drown out her words. She shook her head at him and turned to leave. Nate stood there for a second; taking in what she had just said to him. She had only taken a few steps when Nate caught up with her, grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face him.

'What is never going to work?' he was still holding her arm.

'Us…' One word is all she said, and that one word began to unravel Nate's calmness. He could not believe this was happening.

'There hasn't ever been an "us", Serena! So how would we not work?'

'Because we can't seem to ever take the steps towards there being an "us", Nate!'

'I took those steps, and you walked away. You choose a different direction!' Nate's voice was no longer rising due to the weather. 'And now you're standing here expecting something from me,' he paused and let her arm go, 'and it isn't fair.' He finished a bit softer this time. Serena considered him and his words for a moment. She was shivering, every bit of her was soaked and she was beginning to feel the cold.

'You're right,' Serena replied and ran a hand through her wet hair. 'But I'm not walking away now.' Nate looked at her; she took a step closer to him. 'See the thing is, Archibald, I think I'm in love with you, and I think I've been in denial about it.' Nate could feel a smile growing across his face, he stayed silent. Serena stood there waiting for him to say something. She was starting to think that all she had just said was a mistake- that Nate actually didn't want her like that anymore. She was about to ask him to say something, when he closed the space between them and pulled her into a kiss. His one hand went to her neck and pulled her more in to him, deepening the kiss. His other hand rested on the small of her back. It took Serena mere seconds to respond to the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and enjoyed the moment. Her whole body was suddenly on fire and the rain suddenly didn't matter as much- only that current moment mattered. Nate was savoring the moment- he realized how much he had missed kissing her. He finally broke away when he could feel the rain picking up pace. He rested his forehead on hers for a moment before looking at her. He grabbed her hand.

'Let's get out of the rain.' He said. She smiled and laughed. They then began to walk back to Nate's dorm room…finally together.

* * *

Blair was sitting in-between Chuck's legs with her head resting on his chest. She had the laptop on her lap, they were watching a movie. Chuck was running his one hand up and down Blair's one arm. He was perfectly content; he had Blair in his shirt, in his arms, there, with him. He couldn't think of anything better. He placed a kiss on the top of her head- Blair smiled at that and sighed happily. A few minutes later the movie ended. Blair closed the laptop and moved it to the side. She looked up at Chuck.

'You're right that movie wasn't terrible,' she said and he laughed.

'Waldorf, I know you well enough, to know if you would have hated it.'

'As you keep telling me, Bass.' She paused and took a hold of his one hand. 'I don't know what it is about you, about us, that draws me in so much.'

'I think I know,' he said and intertwined their fingers.

'You going to tell me what you think it is?' Blair asked when he remained silent. Chuck laughed.

'Maybe around Christmas time.' Blair laughed this time and shook her head. She then maneuvered so that she was facing Chuck. She didn't say anything but simply kissed him. She didn't mind waiting until Christmas time if it meant she was with Chuck until then. They had decided to confront Georgina tomorrow and just spend the rest of the day and night together. Blair broke away a moment later.

'Ok. Let's go get something to eat.' She gave one small nod and was about to get up when Chuck pulled her back to him and kissed her again.

'In a few minutes.' He said in-between the kisses. He could feel Blair smiling and continued to kiss her. They were both happier than they had been in a while.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Blair adjusted her top and took a seat on the table. She turned to Chuck who grinned at her.

'Ready?' he asked her and she just smirked in response. The door to the dorm they were in was opening. A moment later Georgina entered her dorm room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Chuck and Blair. Once she had registered them, she closed the room door and stepped further into the room.

'Well, this is certainly something,' She commented and stared from one to the other. 'What are you doing here?' she shot out.

'We're here to see you,' Chuck began and put his hands in his pockets, 'but you weren't here earlier, so we thought we'd just let ourselves in and wait for you.'

'How courteous of you,' Georgina sarcastically said.

'Here,' Blair said and threw a USB towards Georgina- who caught it easily.

'And this?' Georgina questioned now focusing her attention on Blair. Blair gave a sigh of satisfaction and smiled.

'That has files on it which proves you had a bit of an inappropriate relationship, with a certain professor who goes by the name of Chris.' Blair watched as Georgina's face turned white. 'Now if you don't want that information to go public, you'll leave me alone.'

'And retract that fake photo you posted.' Chuck added. 'We took the liberty of adding the files on that USB which show that picture was a fake.'

'We just thought it would make life a bit easier for you,' Blair added and gave her a smirk. 'If you don't stop and if you don't retract that post. I'll take that information public, Georgina, and life will become…well… definitely a lot more enjoyable for me.'

'You couldn't have proven any of that,' Georgina finally managed to choke out. Chuck scoffed.

'We did,' he said and began to walk to the door. 'And you'll be able to see that.' Blair got off the table and began to follow him. Georgina kept standing where she was. Chuck opened the door and Georgina finally turned to face them. Blair turned back to her.

'Well played, Sparks,' Blair added and smirked. 'But don't mess with me again.' Georgina cocked her head to the side.

'Don't mess with my brother again.' She replied and put the USB in her pocket. Blair nodded and took a hold of Chuck's hand. They both left the dorm room. Half an hour later they received a Gossip Girl post which informed everyone that the picture of Chuck kissing that girl had been a fake. Blair smiled and turned to Chuck.

'Well that could have been a lot messier.' Blair commented. 'I didn't think Georgina would give up so easily.'

'She probably has it out for us now,' Chuck casually commented and kissed Blair's forehead.

'That's ok. She's no match for us.' Blair smiled and Chuck smiled back.

'No she isn't. Not when we're together, Waldorf, and I don't plan on loosing you.' Blair smiled and pulled him into a kiss.

'Ok. I need to go meet Archibald. You coming with?' she asked Chuck a moment later after breaking the kiss.

'Of course, is he ok?' Chuck asked a bit concerned. Blair smiled.

'He sounded like an excited child when I called him earlier.' Blair and Chuck made their way over to the campus coffee shop. When they entered, they noticed Nate and Serena sitting at a table holding hands. Blair sighed, she was happy to finally be seeing Nate happy, but at the same time she was a bit worried about Dan. She made a mental note to go and check up on him later. They made their way over to the table and sat down.

Finally, it seemed that things were sorting themselves out, and going the way they were meant to be going. Blair was grateful that things were easing a bit. She looked around the table and realized that even though these past months had been eventful, they had brought her so much. New friends and most importantly Chuck- she was pulled out from her thoughts when Nate said something to her.

'Everything sorted?' he asked her softly. She nodded.

'What about you?' he smiled back at Blair.

'Finally yes.'

* * *

**A/N: READ THIS ONE PLEASE! Ok. First off I have one more chapter of College Trials left. Which really is just so that If I want to do a sequel I can. I like Georgina, so I didn't want to destroy her completely in this chapter, so I can use her in the future. Also right now I'm feeling bad about my Dan. I actually like Dan and did not want to put back together with Vanessa. I don't like Vanessa. Not even when I get to dictate what she does. But at the same time I wanted Serena with Nate. The result? If I do a sequel Dan is getting a new love interest. I don't know if this felt fast paced? I didn't want it to feel like that. **

**Please check out Rivals Make the Best Allies- it is a Chair fic. I'll have the final chapter up tonight for College Trials. Yes I will. Review guys. Please! **

**Also I won't be able to update Rivals for about ten days- but once i'm back i'm going to be posting a lot for that story. **

**Review please!  
**


	30. The End For Now

**Chapter 30: The End…For Now/ Epilogue**

Blair sat on down on her favourite bench and took a sip of her coffee. Term was coming to an end and she had just written her last semester test. She smiled; relieved that soon she would be away on holiday with Chuck, Dan, Nate and Serena. They were spending the summer together and she was beyond excited for that. She was so caught up in her thoughts that it took a second for her to notice the figure which had just taken a seat on the bench next to her. She turned to Dan and noticed the huge smile on his face.

'Spill, Humphrey.' Blair said quickly and handed him the cup of coffee she had gotten for him. His smile grew even bigger, however he was slightly nervous as well.

'Ok,' he took out an envelope from one of the books he had been carrying and handed it over to Blair. She took it and gave him a confused look. 'We got in.' He added a moment later.

'Got in where?' Blair asked confused and took out the letter from the already opened envelope. She read it, and couldn't quite believe what she was reading. 'Dan…' she trailed off and looked up at him and smiled. 'How?'

'I applied for both of us,' he began to explain. 'This was our dream in high school, Waldorf, and so earlier on in the year I decided to apply. But I wanted my best friend with me, so I applied for you as well.' Blair sighed. This was incredible.

'We got into Yale.' She finally managed to say.

'We did.' Dan replied and laughed. They were currently attending Columbia due to some logistical reasons but their dream in high school had always been to go to Yale. She hugged her friend and then sat back. She read her letter again and then Dan's acceptance letter. Suddenly her phone went off. It was a message from Chuck telling her about some party going on tonight. She looked back up at Dan and something hit her. This had been their first year at Columbia and they had finally settled in. Not to mention that Chuck, Nate and Serena attended Columbia. Dan could tell what she was thinking.

'We don't have to decide, which university to attend next year, just yet!' he squeezed his friend's hand. 'Let's just enjoy the summer and decide on Columbia or Yale later.' Dan finished and Blair smiled at him. Everyone else in the group was done with semesters test, she was the last one to finish, and she realized that tonight's party was the first party to start off their holiday together. She organized with Dan to meet him later and then she left to go get ready for tonight.

* * *

** An Hour before the Party **

Serena walked out of the room, and went over to Nate. She stood in front of him and moved her hair to the side. She turned around.

'Can you zip me up?' Nate stood up, and took in the appearance of the black dress she was wearing and just how beautiful she was. He kissed the side of her neck.

'Do I have to?' He kept kissing her neck and Serena sighed happily.

'I guess we can be a bit late.' She replied and turned around to properly kiss him. Things had been going well for Nate and Serena. They were happy and enjoyed spending as much time together as possible. They were also just as excited as Blair was, to be going away together with their friends.

* * *

Blair put her shoes on and heard a knocking at her door. She stood up and went to answer it. She was surprised to see Chuck standing outside her room door, considering she was supposed to be meeting him at the party. She smiled though and stepped aside so that he could enter. He entered and then turned towards Blair and pulled her into a kiss. A few moments later they broke away. Blair took a hold of Chuck's hand and they walked further into her room.

'What are you doing here?' she asked him, and he pulled her onto the couch with him.

'I felt like seeing you before the party.' Blair's smile grew and she leaned in and gave him another short kiss. When they broke apart Chuck took a box out of his jacket pocket. Blair watched him curiously, he smiled at her and handed her the box.

'I saw this and thought you'd like it,' he paused for a moment and smiled at her, 'it reminded me of you.' Blair opened the box and sighed happily.

'Chuck, this is beautiful.' She leaned over and gave him another kiss- one that was much longer than the others had been. 'Thank you.' It was a thin silver bracelet, with blue topaz stones embedded along the silver. Blair took it out the box and Chuck helped her put it on. She smiled and stood up.

'I want to wear this tonight, but it doesn't match this dress. So I'm going to change it.' Chuck stood up, 'I'll help.' He said and grinned at her. She laughed and took a hold of his hand.

* * *

**The Party**

Blair interlinked her arm with Dan and they went to find Serena and Nate. Chuck had gone to get them drinks. They had turned a corner when a cute girl caught Dan's eye. She had brown hair, green eyes, and a smile which had drawn Dan to her. He sighed and kept walking. The last time he met a girl at a party… it didn't end up sp well. They kept walking and found Nate and Serena a moment later. Blair glanced up to check on Dan, he seemed fine. She sighed. She had no idea how Ok Dan was currently, but she definitely knew that eventually he would be more than Ok. She was distracted form her thoughts by Nate, who had maneuvered over to her.

'You feel like doing a shot?' he asked her and smiled.

'Only if I get to pick the shot,' she responded and Nate laughed.

'Nothing purple!' was his reply and this time Blair laughed. She then looked over to Dan and Serena.

'Maybe we should all do a shot?' Blair suggested. As if Chuck had read her mind, he appeared with drinks and shots for them all. He placed them on the table and then went and stood next to Blair. They each picked up a shot from the table.

'To a great summer.' Blair said. They all then did the shot. Chuck then pulled Blair into a kiss, which she immediately responded to. Serena broke them apart a moment later. They all continued to have a good time that night. There was no drama, just pure fun, like it should be.

* * *

**After the Party**

Nate walked Serena to her room and they stopped outside it. He sighed and placed a kiss on her forehead. She looked up and pulled him into a proper kiss. During the kiss she felt him take a hold of her hand.

'Stay with me tonight,' Nate said when they broke away. Serena smiled at him.

'Ok, but give me a minute.' She then opened her room door and went to gather a few things, like her toothbrush. Nate waited for her, feeling absolutely content. They had had a good night and things were great between them. He hadn't been this happy in a long time. He was brought out of his thoughts when Serena emerged and took a hold of his hand.

'Come on, Archibald, the sun is beginning to rise.' He laughed and placed a kiss on the top of her head and then headed back to Nate's room.

* * *

Blair shifted in bed and turned over. She shifted again and then felt Chuck's arm wrap around her waist. He pulled her closer to him, and placed a small kiss on the side of her neck.

'You ok?' he asked her softly. Blair just nodded and moved a bit closer to him. Finally comfortable. Blair knew that she had had some rough times these past few weeks, but she also knew that she would do it all over again just to be where she is with Chuck now. She didn't know what the future held for them; all she did know was that she wanted to be with him, and he with her, and that was all that really mattered at the end of the day.

* * *

They all slept peacefully that night- with the excitement for the summer holidays brewing in the back of their heads. Together they were sure to have an interesting holiday and tons of fun. Any drama that came their way- they all knew that they were strong enough to deal with as friends, couples and as a group. At the end of the day they were all just hoping that nothing would come between them. Soon enough, the summer would either prove their hopes correct or shatter them and deep down inside each of them realized this.

**The End…For Now  
**

**PLEASE READ THIS!**

**A/N: Ok, I know I have been terrible with updating. I honestly have had the worst writers block ever. First off I would like to know if anyone would actually like me to do a sequel? Then this chapter is purposefully short because I wanted it to feel like, life is just happening easily for them and the drama has subsided etc. Lastly if any of you are reading Rivals Make the Best Allies- I haven't given up on it and will update it by tomorrow! Please review!  
**


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